Clockwork
by kolchaksghost
Summary: The mysterious Bella Swan moves to Forks to die. She is not like any of the other students. Will she find love and a reason to live? What secret is she hiding? But more importantly, how does Emmett know her? AU. Bella/Rosalie femslash.
1. Chapter 1

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: SM is the only one that owns Twilight._

**AN: I forgot my flash drive when I went to work last night so I wasn't able to work on any of my other stories but needed to write something and this was what I came up with. **

Prologue: Vienna, Austria

APOV (Augustus)

"I am very sorry, Augustus, der ist nozing furzer zat I can do," Dr. Strauss told me apologetically before he fled out of my front door.

I stood in the doorway and watched the coward's retreating form until he disappeared around the corner. It was one minute longer before I shut the door and moved slowly up the stairs. My heart turned to ice and all of my emotions went numb. The only thing that was working normally in body was a mind that refused to stop thinking about the only thing in my life that made it worth living was about to be taken from me. Isabella Marie… my precious Angel… my granddaughter was laying in the room across from mine dying.

When I entered her room, her tiny body was practically swallowed by the massive bed I had bought after I was told she was going to be living with me. My Liebling's four-year-old body already looked deathly pale and was covered with a fine sheen of sweat. A pained whimper escaped from her and I was instantly by her side. There was a basin of water and a face cloth on the nightstand next to the bed. I dipped the cloth into the water and cleaned the sweat from the exposed skin of her face and arms. Her chocolate eyes fluttered open at my touch then focused on me. A small furrow appeared between her eyebrows as her expression became concerned.

"Poppa, I will always love you," she whispered hoarsely and just that minimal effort drained the poor girl. Once more her eyes fluttered shut and exhaustion claimed her.

For the past six months, every doctor and specialist had told me that her heart was going to eventually give out. I refused to believe that God would take everything good from my life. As I looked on what might well be Isabella's last few hours on Earth, she gave another pained whimper and the ice that coated my heart melted. A fire burned through me and a new conviction that she was going to live blazed through my being. I knew just what to do and picked up her small frame then prayed for a miracle as I carried her out of the room.

I worked through the night and was vaguely aware that the first light of dawn was going to shine soon. With trembling hands, I tied the last suture then gave a final twist and hoped the operation was successful. The clock on the wall chimed the sunrise hour but all of my senses were focused on the little girl on the table before me.

"Poppa," she mumbled groggily and her eyes fluttered open. I cried out in joy because my little one was going to live.

Ch. 1: The Eleventh Hour

_Nobody likes to think about when they are going to die, they just accept the fact that it will happen someday then ignore it. My grandfather saved me from the brink of death when I was only four and I've lived each day since knowing I was on borrowed time. It is not something that I can forget because I feel each turn of the cog, hear each tick of the clock that counts down to my final day. Even if I had never left Phoenix, I'd still be facing death._

_As the bells are about to chime on my own personal midnight, I gaze into the black eyes of the hunter and have no regrets about the decision to move to Forks in the Eleventh Hour of my life. For one brief, shining moment, I felt like a normal girl. I found love and was loved in return. Even if I survive the next few minutes, I won't last the night. Rosalie, my love, I hope you can forgive me…_

BPOV

"Are you sure you want to do this, Bells," Charlie asked for the millionth time and I bit back the exasperated sigh that threatened to come out.

"I'm positive; besides, we both know that I've not got much longer. You and Phil need some time to enjoy your honeymoon phase with having to take care of me. Living with Renee until the end might spice my life up a bit. I'll admit that I'll miss the sun, though," I replied as I kissed his cheek while his husband looked scandalized.

"How can you be so flippant about dying," Phil demanded on the brink of tears.

"Das ist not being flippant, das ist being pragmatic like die good Austrian zat I am," I retorted in German flavored English and my natural Austrian accent then stuck my tongue out at him for good measure.

Both men laughed then I kissed Phil's cheek and continued in my Americanized voice, "I'll miss you guy but I promise if things get to be too much to handle that I'll be on the next flight back."

The announcement that my flight was boarding came over the PA system so I gave each of them a final hug and kisses then headed to gate. I looked back one more time, smiled then shook my head at the two rugged men that nobody believed was a happy gay couple. Then again, most people thought I was just another eighteen-year-old girl but as with Charlie and Phil, looks were very deceiving. They waved but I had to turn my attention back to getting through the security checkpoint. _Mein Gott, I wish I could fly myself,_ I thought to myself when I handed one the guards the card that said I had a pacemaker. After my shoes, purse and backpack were on the conveyor for the x-ray machine; he led me around the metal detector then carefully used the wand on my legs and arms.

I then put my shoes back on and started to gather my things when another of the security guards placed a hand on my shoulder. He pointed to the wheel chair next to him and directed me to sit down. To my eternal embarrassment, I realized that Charlie had requested them to wheel me down to the gate. An image of the traitor with a smug smile on his face popped into my head and I wanted nothing more than to kick his ass. I swallowed my pride and sat down without complaint, later tonight I was going to call Phil and his husband would be properly punished.

When the plane landed in Seattle, I was happy that asshole's little joke only covered the Phoenix airport. My attorney, J. Jenks, was waiting for me in the terminal when I disembarked the plane. We found an out of the way spot and he handed me a thick envelope that contained my new papers.

"You will find everything in order, Miss Schwann, and I received confirmation of your wire transfer to my off shore account. As always, it's been a pleasure working with you," the stocky balding man said courteously then bowed slightly and melted into the nearby crowd.

There was still an hour and a half left before my shuttle flight to Port Angeles so I headed to the closest lady's room to freshen up before hunting up some food. After splashing some cold water on my face, I locked myself into one of the stall and opened the envelope. I left the fake school transcripts and birth certificate inside but removed the Arizona driver's license, passport, social security number and cover story for Isabella Marie Swan. It'd been a couple of decades since the last time I updated identities and I figured it was about time with my current move. This was going to be the last one I used so I had Jenks stick as close to the truth as was possible. The passport, license and social security card replaced the old ones that were in my purse. Next, I left the stall and placed the old documents and cover story into one of the sinks. I removed a bottle of nail polish from my purse and dumped it onto the contents of the sink. It was only a few minutes before the dissolved remains went down the drain and I was off in search of lunch.

The short commuter flight was short but the charter plane was cramped and I was thankful when we finally reached Port Angeles. Due to overbooking, I had been forced to sit at the back of the plane so I needed to wait for everyone else to get off first. I made it into the terminal and found Renee waving her arms to catch my attention. With a smile, I raced over and she pulled me into a hug.

"I've missed you, Bells," she said before releasing me from her embrace. Charlie's twin sister threw an arm around my shoulder then guided me to the luggage carrousel. Renee was the spitting image of their mother while her brother was the spitting image of Augustus reborn. I was surprised to find she wasn't in her police uniform.

With her long red hair, ample breasts, curvy hips and throaty voice most people took her for a ditzy porn star but that was a misconception she fostered. Renee Swan was actually highly intelligent with the mind like a steel trap. She used those qualities to graduate from the top of her class in high school then college and finally the FBI Academy at Quantico. The bombshell spent three years at the Bureau undercover trying to bring down a human trafficking ring. When her cover was almost blown, they pulled her out and she decided she wanted to live the quiet life. Renee quit her job then moved back to her home town of Forks, Washington. She hadn't even unpacked her suitcase before the former Chief of Police was knocking on her door with a job offer. He wasn't a fool and knew his small department would benefit from someone with her experience.

Renee took him up on the offer and never looked back. After her boss retired, so did the four other officers besides herself. She had advanced warning that it was going to happen and had replacements already in place. For the past ten years, the town had been blessed to have her as the Chief of Police.

We picked up my two pieces of luggage from the carrousel then made out way outside. The light rain and cool breeze that cut through the thin material of my clothing were unfortunate reminders that my days basking in the warm sunlight were behind me. My "cousin's" Cruiser was parked in the white zone and we tossed my bags in the back then hopped in. I'd hoped to spend the drive in comfortable silence but of course my companion had other ideas.

"The boys and I have been talking since you chose to move in with me and we thought it would be best to enroll you in high school," she started and I scowled because she'd gone over to the Dark Side with her brother.

"Don't give me that look; you haven't been back to high school in fifty years. I know it sucks but too fucking bad. All you did in Phoenix was putter around the house and the only time you left were for your monthly club meetings. When was the last time you went out on a date, because you're in desperate need of getting laid? I freely admit that pickings are slim here but you'd stand a better chance of finding a guy among the other students. I think if you actually had somebody in your life you wouldn't be so quick to give up the ghost and fight to find a way to live," Renee continued bluntly and unrepentant.

"Not that it's any of your business but the last time I had sex was a one-night stand I picked up in Studio 54 back in the Seventies. As far as dating goes, you might have a point but it would be cruel to get involved with somebody because, no matter how hard I've tried, my days are limited. Even if I were to date, I would never in a million years date a high school boy or any man for that matter.

"In my one hundred sixty years of life, I've only had sex with three men; my husband, Heinricht – but he was as gay as I am and we needed to have a child to get the family off our backs, H.G. Wells – but he swung both ways and it was threesome with a hot blooded Irish maid, and Nikola Tesla – I chalk that one up to being extremely drunk. He was very good but he had the most wonderful toys. All of my other lovers have been women so unless there's a leggy blonde with the face of an Angel and the body of Aphrodite running around in the backwoods village, I won't even consider dating," I retorted and had the honor of watching my great-great-great-great-granddaughter turn scarlet with shock.

A half hour of silence fell over the car as Renee tried to wrap her mind around what I'd told her. Just when I thought the rest of the drive was going to be more of the same she commented, "So you're a lesbian and Grandpa Heinricht was gay."

"Yes. You have to understand that we were best friends and loved each other in but were incapable of being in love with each other. My Heinricht was a fourth cousin that had been away at university in England when he had to leave because of a scandal. Grandfather paid a small fortune to keep everything quiet and his parents from finding out. In return, the disgraced scion had to marry me because Augustus was dying and needed somebody to watch over me. I met my husband for the first time at the altar on our wedding day.

"The wedding night was comical as neither of us wanted to touch the other. During those first few months of our marriage, we learned each others' secrets and started to build our friendship. After Grandfather died, Heinricht's parents started to put a great deal of pressure on us to have a child. We agreed that the meddling was only going to get more heavy handed and figured if we acquiesced just once they'd leave us alone. A week's worth of trying and the limp-wristed bastard impregnated me with triplets. That's how our family started," I explained because I felt she had the right to know the truth. Charlie had found out the day he came out to me.

"Huh, so that's why you never freaked when my brother came out or I told you about my experimental stage in college," the red head stated then lapsed back into a thoughtful silence until we reached home.

She pointed out the rusted red truck parked in front of the house and told me she bought it off her friend, Billy, as a homecoming gift. It was '56 Chevy and I loved it. The aging hulk was never going to replace my babies but a good normal vehicle. The fact that it was built like a tank was a bonus. The way she'd said her friend's name made me think there was more there than just friendship.

We grabbed my bags then headed inside. The house was just like I remembered from my last visit. If I was honest, it looked like she was rarely home from the subtle neglect of everything. She led me upstairs to my room then helped me unpack. The two of us talked about the first day of school on Monday and other lighter topics while she watched me for signs of fatigue. All of my little ones were having a hard time accepting my pending demise. When my stomach growled, we decided to go downstairs and order a pizza.

"I hope you don't mind but I told Billy that I'd go cliff diving with him tomorrow. You're more than welcome to come, his son – Jacob would love to meet you. It's not a set up, I promise," she commented and looked at me hopefully. I wanted to meet this Billy but I wanted to relax before I had to deal with the first day of school. There was also the good possibility that Jacob was going to paw me like most teenage boys.

"Actually, I think I'll head to Port Angeles because Charlie said my big baby was going to be delivered in the morning then I was going to relax before being forced back into Hell," I responded but wasn't able to hide the guilt in my voice.

"That's okay, there will be other times for you to go to La Push with me," Renee soothed then fell onto the pizza when it arrived.

That night as I lay in bed, I wondered what nightmares school would hold. At least I was going to be starting as a junior, not that it mattered in the grand scheme of things. Who knows, maybe Renee and Charlie were right. One of the main reasons I came here was to shake things up. Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't going to turn out as bad as I feared. I drifted off to sleep with images of soft curves pressed against me and a flash of blonde hair.


	2. Chapter 2

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: Only this story is mine. The setting and characters belong to SM._

Ch. 2: First Sight

BPOV

I had woken up earlier than normal on Saturday morning and thought it would be nice to do something special for Renee. I made my way down to the kitchen and after a bit of scrounging, ended up making Cinnamon Bun French Toast with maple cured sausage patties. My grandchild padded down from her room and sniffed appreciatively in the direction of the still cooking food.

"Damn, Gran, I've missed your cooking but if you keep making stuff like that then I'm going to get fat," she laughed when I put a full plate in front of her.

"Please, you couldn't get fat if you tried," I replied as I sat down with a plate of my own. We both fell on our breakfast like lumberjacks not realizing just how hungry we were.

Renee talked animatedly about her friend Billy and his son as we took turns getting ready. I never understood how she was able to carry on a conversation while she showered or brushed her teeth. The more she went on about this guy, the more serious I knew her feelings were. Then there was Jacob, apparently the poor boy was hit by a drunk driver and paralyzed from the waist down. _I might be able to do something for him that the doctors couldn't,_ I theorized. Normally, I would've bothered because you can't save everyone but when she told me the kid was a gear head, let's just say it gave me a soft spot for him.

I once more turned down the offer to join her at La Push after I finished getting ready then we parted ways. The entire drive to Port Angeles my excitement grew. Once I reached the city limits, my mood switched to pensive. If anyone had so much as scratched my lovely there was going to be hell to pay. I was pleased to find everything in pristine condition when I arrived.

Sunday was not so good. Renee hadn't shown back up from her cliff diving date the day before but I wasn't worried because I knew she could take care of herself. She still wasn't back when I woke up and made breakfast. My cell buzzed with an incoming text while I was eating. I found a message from her that said she'd be back in the early afternoon. My heart had started to bother me and tremors rippled through my body so I was thrilled when Renee came home. It would've been fine if she was alone but no, she had to bring Billy, Jacob and the four members of the Clearwater family.

"Hey Bells, I hope you don't mind but my friends wanted to meet my little cousin," my wayward descendent called out in a gentle tone and I hid the scowl that threatened to twist my features.

Everyone filed into the living room where I'd been watching a DVD of Mysterious Island that starred Patrick Stewart. I'd forget my orientation for a night to teach that bald Brit a few maneuvers. But that was another matter entirely; Renee noticed the slight shaking in my body the second she looked at me and I saw the regret in her eyes over not giving me a heads up so I could tell her it was going to be a bad day. She quickly introduced me to everyone and I fought to regain tight control over my body.

Billy looked to be in his late 30's, a little over 6 feet tall and well muscled. He, like our other guests, had deep russet colored skin and long raven black hair. Jacob had his father's looks and well developed upper body. His own sense of style showed through in how he'd personalized his wheelchair. It was flat black with red leather flames stitched into the seatback. Seth and Leah Clearwater were younger clones of their parents, Harry and Sue. Unfortunately, my tremors got worse but at least it ended the evening's torture. My granddaughter had taken it upon herself to sit by my bedside through the night while I slept.

It still felt like I wasn't firing on all pistons when I arrived at school this morning. After parking the Tank in the student lot, I slowly made my way over to the small building that was the Office. A plump middle-aged woman with bright pumpkin orange hair was sitting at the secretary's desk behind the counter absorbed in a tawdry romance novel. The name tag on her desk read Mrs. Cope. I cleared my throat and the distracted woman jumped with a startled gasp.

"C-c-can I help you, dear," the older woman stammered in embarrassment over being caught unaware.

"I'm Isabella Swan and I needed to pick up my schedule," I replied and made sure nothing in my tone or expression showed that I'd noticed anything.

Mrs. Cope muttered something about the Chief's cousin being expected then rummaged around her desk until she found the file she was looking for. She brought it back to the counter then pulled out my schedule, a map of the school and a slip of paper that I needed to get all my teachers to sign. I left the office just as the first bell rang then ran into a slender boy with greasy black hair and acne.

"You must be Isabella, I'm Eric," the youth said as we helped each other get back up.

"I prefer Bella. Pleased to meet you, Eric," I commented before I headed in the direction of my homeroom/first class. It was obvious that the boy had delusions of romance as he "helped" me find my way.

The only good thing about my morning was that it went quickly and it was time for lunch. Otherwise, it was about as nightmarish as I'd feared because by the time I entered the cafeteria, there was a pack of over-eager terriers nipping at my heals; Eric had been joined by a smarmy fellow named Mike Newton and rebel-without-a-clue, Tyler Crowley. The school's resident bicycles, Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley, walked ahead of us but occasionally shot jealous glances back my way. The only decent people I'd met today were Angela Webber and Ben Cheney. It was obvious that those two were secretly crushing on each other.

There was one odd thing that drew my attention when I made my way from my last class with my unwanted entourage. I had the distinct feeling that I was being watched and not just from my admirers.

EPOV (Emmett)

For the past several weeks the entire town, not just the students of Forks High, had been buzzing with gossip of Chief Swan's younger cousin moving to town. Like the rest of my family, I felt bad for the unknown human girl but at least the idea of her had deflected everyone's interest away from us. It was always dangers whenever we moved to a new place. The more people were drawn in to our supernatural beauty and monitored our every move then it was only a matter of time before they figured out that we weren't human. That we were a family of vampires but nobody was going to take the time to discover we only drink animal blood. The only things that would be left to do at that point were to kill anyone that discovered our secret then vanish without a trace.

About a week ago, my psycho pixie sister, Alice, started prancing even more hyper than normal and counted down the days until the new girl arrived. Esme, our mother kept shooting hopeful glances and me, Edward and Rose because we were the only single members in our family. She and Carlisle were a mated pair along with Alice and Jasper. Of the three of us, Eddie was too much of a prude and wouldn't know what to do with a woman if she came with illustrated instructions. Me, I was well versed in womanology but there was this little thing from the club that had drawn my interest. That left Rosalie, I've know she's been into chicks since I woke up from the change. Her last few months as a human, particularly her last hour, had been all kinds of fucked up. If any of us deserved a happy ending then it was her.

I rode to school with Rose in her red M3 convertible because pussy-boy's… I meant Edward's precious Volvo was too cramped to hold me. We met the others in the parking lot and I hung back while my siblings headed to their classes. From a safe vantage point, I waited for Isabella Swan to arrive. It wasn't long before she pulled up in rusted out '56 Chevy truck. The brunette human girl looked familiar but I knew that I'd never met her before. I rushed off to class when she entered the Office.

For some reason, I found myself leaning in the doorway of an empty classroom across from the cafeteria as I waited for the rest of my family. The queen bitches, Lauren and Jessica walked past me shooting glares at the Swan girl behind them. Then I understood why when I saw Yorkie, Newton and Crowley trailing after the new girl with lust filled gazes. I was about to start looking for my siblings when the movement of Isabella brushing a strand of hair behind her ear caught my attention. For the flash of an instant, the pale skin behind her ear was exposed and my enhanced eyesight noted the small tell-tale tattoo.

_Oh my god… oh my god, it's her. The Mistress is here, she's really here! Do I talk to her? What do I say? I'll call Basil then keep an eye on her. Shit, I hope she doesn't catch me then think I'm some kind of stalker. I wonder why she's wearing those vanilla clothes, _I thought nervously then pulled out my cell phone and dialed a number from memory.

"Hey Emmett, what can I do for you," Basil answered in his British baritone.

"Knight Commander, The Mistress has moved to Forks," I told him as I looked around to make sure nobody heard my half of the conversation.

RPOV

Today was even more tedious than usual because all anyone could talk about was Isabella Swan. All I wanted was to get away from the incessant prattling of these awful children but had to stay because my family missed enough school on those rare sunny days. Em, that big teddy bear, hadn't been waiting for us outside the cafeteria at lunch time. In fact, his scent led away from it and outside. We found him sitting at one of the picnic tables but he seemed lost in thought.

The lunch hour passed with all of us making plans to go up to Seattle for the weekend. I'd gotten a text from Alice during my fifth period History class that said Eddie had to go home because of the new girl's scent. The smug mind reading jackass always vaunted his superior control. Yeah, right, I was the only member of the family that had never tasted human blood. Whereas, Mr. I-need-the-stick-in-my-ass-replaced-by-a-rock-hard-cock, had run off after a decade of being a vampire to feed off humans. The self-righteous prick needed to be taken down a peg or three.

I went into my sixth period Drafting class and set up my materials. The rest of the students filtered in. Unfortunately, the triplets of terror were in this class with me. Mike, Tyler and Eric continued to beg me for dates. I'd heard that they'd gone after Miss Swan but they were incorrigible and refused to take no for an answer. It was only a matter of time before they started after me again. Mr. Mason was about to start class when the girl in question walked in then handed him a slip to sign. He affixed his signature then kept her at the front of the classroom.

"Class, as you are aware we have a new student. Why don't you introduce yourself," the teacher directed.

"I'd prefer not," she shot back while my senses drank in every detail about her. The human girl had shoulder length brown hair and pale skin. Her heart shaped face held stunning chocolate brown eyes I could get lost in and full lips. Her body was a petite 5-foot-5 and had all the right curves. I had to force my eyes from gravitating to her full beasts. When she turned her head, I noticed a small tattoo behind her left ear of looked like one of those Rotary Club wheels that was blue and bisected, vertically, by gold scepter topped with ruby. She looked pained as she pulled out an antique pocket watch and looked at the time. The ticking and whirring of the time piece had an oddly calming effect on me.

"Too bad, this is my classroom and I want you to introduce yourself to everyone," Mr. Mason stated rather harshly.

"Fine. My name is Isabella Marie Swan but I prefer to be called Bella. I'm 17 and I moved here from Phoenix to live with my cousin Renee because I'm dying. That means I'm not going to take any crap from you hormonal asshats or teachers. I enjoy building and restoring anything mechanical, especially clocks. Most people find my clock fetish to be morbid but I really don't care. For you guys that think you're going to get into my pants, the only way that will ever happen is if you grow a descent B-Cup, your dicks turn into vaginas and you look like her," Bella stated bluntly and was pointing at me while she took out her cell phone then pressed a number.

"Miss Swan, that was uncal…," the old bastard started to say but was interrupted.

"No, what was uncalled for was forcing me to do something I felt uncomfortable with. If I recall correctly, most schools nowadays frown upon any form of harassment, bullying or hazing. Since my cousin, Chief Swan is listening in as we speak; I can guarantee that she'll be waiting for both of us in the Principal's Office after class. At that time, you can explain why you should still keep your job after causing undue stress to a dying girl. Now, I'm going to go sit in the only available seat and spend the rest of the period drawing up new plans for a clock," the brunette cut in with a cold tone and Mr. Mason paled.

The rest of the students and I sat there dumbfounded as she had taken the seat next to me then did as she said she would. The bell had rung before anyone snapped out of their shocked haze. Our teach and the little hellcat that had put him in his place left in short order then made their way to the administration building. Oh how I wanted to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. I noticed the Police Cruiser parked in the Student Lot but was distracted by Alice waving at me like a demented garden gnome. I rolled my eyes and made my way over to where she, Em and Jasper waited.

"I had a vision and Mr. Mason is going to resign. The school is going to look through their files to find a replacement for him and Esme will get a call to finish out the school year as his substitute," the pixie trilled and danced about. I glanced over to her mate and gave him a look. Jasper shot her with such a large dose of lethargy that Alice fell into his arms limply and looked stoned.

"What's she like," he asked me and a little bit of his Texas accent showed. I stopped midstride back to the car because I realized that I hadn't even spoken to her. Both of my brothers noticed my sheepish expression and laughed.

"Don't worry about it babe, I have a feeling she's going to fit in well with us," Emmett commented as we all got into my M3 then headed home.

**AN: Another chapter down and the plot thickens. I'd wanted Emmett to geek out a bit and go all fanboy but I just couldn't get it to work without completely giving everything away.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight._

Ch.3: Car Crashes and Fairy Tales

RPOV

It was Friday, and the rest of the school week wasn't nearly as interesting as Monday had been. Bella's outburst and subsequent consequences caused the majority of the students to avoid the brunette like the plague. Forks was a small town that was slowly dragging its feet into the 21st Century. That meant that our classmates had no idea how to deal with somebody that was both open about being a lesbian and dying. The only ones that never treated the sick girl as a freak were Angela, Ben and my family. The three humans had taken to eating lunch at the table next to ours.

On the plus side, Edward had yet to return from Alaska so we weren't subjected to the mind reader's constant prying. Then there was Esme, who'd taken over all of Mr. Mason's classes. Under normal circumstances, such a turn of events would've been cringe worthy but the woman was so kind and encouraging that everyone loved her. In fact, after her fist day, the school offered her the permanent position next year. My mother told them that she'd think about it but we all knew that this new job brought her such joy that she was going to say yes.

Emmett had surprised all of us by unofficially adopting Bella Swan. He was very good at remaining unobtrusive but he was never far from the human girl. He'd even gone as far as to have all of his classes changed around hers. At first, I felt jealous over my brother's actions and I didn't understand why. Those feelings changed when Jasper told me that Emmett had brotherly affection, reverence and strong protective feelings for her but nothing that was remotely romantic.

The strange girl was very charming and had quickly enchanted Esme in our Drafting class. Hell, even I found her captivating and seemed to hang on her every word. The two of us were rapidly developing an in-school friendship. My mother and I were impressed with the drawings the younger woman turned in and realized that she hadn't lied about her clock fetish. Most of the work she turned in was clock designs. During yesterday's class, we fell into one of our easy conversations and I told her that our house had once belonged to the local clockmaker. Esme added that when we'd moved in, the house was filled with his work. She'd kept a few of his best pieces and incorporated them into design for the remodeling work.

There had been a mix of snow and freezing rain last night so my siblings and I piled into Emmett's Jeep for the drive to school. We parked in our usual spot then waited for Bella to arrive. Jasper stiffened then growled lowly in the direction of Mike Newton at the same time Alice's eyes glazed over with a vision. The girl we waited for had pulled in and gotten out of her ancient truck. She started to walk away but something caught her attention then she turned back and was examining her rear tire. Tyler Crowley's van came screeching into the parking lot out of control and headed right at Bella.

Time seemed to slow down and I was thankful that everyone's attention was focused on the out of control van. I flashed over to the frozen girl at vampire speed then knocked her to the ground and rolled under her truck as the other vehicle smashed into the spot where Bella had just been standing. I tried to cushion her with my arms but still managed to knock the wind out of her and smash the back of her head against the asphalt. Despite the speed with which everything actually happened, I managed to notice two important things: Newton had been watching the oncoming van while mouthing a countdown, and from my position under the truck I saw the brake fluid leaking from the other vehicle.

"Bella, are you alright, you hit your head pretty hard," I asked the girl underneath me worried.

"_Ouch, my head hurts and it is hard to breathe but I would endure worse to be in the arms of such an Angel,"_ she muttered in perfect German with an accent I was unfamiliar with but seemed natural for her. It was pretty clear that the younger woman was dazed otherwise she would've been speaking in English. I fought back the smugness that wanted to ooze from me because I never told her that I spoke German and this wasn't the proper time to enlighten her.

Bella's body pressed into mine felt right and many deliciously sinful images of what I could do to it before we were "rescued" ran through my mind. The other girl must've felt the same way because a low moan escaped her and my nostrils flared at the scent of her arousal. Subconsciously, she started to wiggle in search of friction and I bit back my own moan when one of her thighs grazed my center. It wasn't the right time because the brunette wasn't in her right mind.

My internal debate was interrupted by Emmett and several adults moving the van out of the way. The school nurse and some teachers pulled me and Bella out from under her truck carefully. The Ambulance and Chief Swan had arrived and forced their way through the crowd that had gathered around us. Everyone was shocked after the Chief stopped the EMT's from checking on her cousin when the finished putting Crowley in the back of the ambulance.

"My cousin's parents raised her in a strict religious upbringing that frowned upon modern medicine. Their last wish after they died was that we continue to honor the tenets of her faith," the older Swan explained apologetically but it seemed like a lie.

"I wish we weren't two officers short at the station because I don't want to leave her alone," Chief Swan muttered while she walked over to us.

Esme and I were about to protest vehemently when Emmett spoke up, "Chief, I'm a member of the KoM and I will not let anything or anyone, not even one of my family, to harm Bella. The only thing my father will be permitted to do is examine her head to see if she has a concussion. If she accepts, she can stay with my family tonight; if she doesn't then I'll watch over her at your house."

"Thank you, I hate to leave her but I need to get Tyler's statement," the Chief said then kissed Bella on the forehead then left with a worried glance back.

The teachers started herding the gawking students back into the school but my family stayed circled around us. Then my mountain of a brother proved himself to be an idiot and shocked us.

"Bella, I know you heard what I said to your cousin but I want you to make an informed choice. My family and I are different," the dark haired giant began but Bella held up a hand.

"_Nosferatu,"_ she queried with an arched eyebrow and my brother nodded so she continued, _"The eyes are significant?"_

I was surprised that the others were confused but realized they'd never learned German. Then again, I never knew Emmett spoke the language before today.

"Yes, gold eyes indicate animal drinkers. I assume you might've run into red eyed human drinkers before," he replied in English so the others were able to follow the conversation.

"_Ja, I was London during the Blitz and saw a red eye feeding at a distance," _Bella admitted in a slur.

"Are you willing to come with us," he pressed and the girl nodded.

Emmett smiled then picked her up and I opened the door to the backseat of our mother's Mercedes sedan. Esme had run to the office to inform Mrs. Cope only to find the secretary had cancelled all of her classes for the day. I was in the backseat with Bella's head in my lap when the caramel haired vampire slid into the driver's seat. My brothers were examining the van when she pulled out of the parking lot.

"I called your father when I left the office and he will meet us at home. Try to keep her conscious until Carlisle can look at her head," my mother told me. A quick glance out the rear window showed the Jeep right behind us.

Carlisle was waiting for us when we reached the house. Em growled him before he had a chance to help us out of the car. The behemoth pulled the injured human gently from the car then carried her inside. He placed his burden on one of the white leather couches in our spacious living room then stood facing us with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern gaze.

"Son, I need to examine her," Carlisle told him and his being vibrated with the need to doctor the wounded girl.

"You can only check her head. I promised Chief Swan that was all that I would allow. I even promised the Mistress that no harm would come to her here because of our vampirism," Emmett replied solemnly when Bella's breathing became labored and her body started to shake.

"FUCK," my brother exclaimed then moved the girl onto the dining room table and ordered, "Alice, brink me the old trunk at the bottom of my closet."

The brunette nodded in acceptance of some silent communication between her and her supernatural guardian. Before anyone blinked, he ripped her shirt down the middle and unsnapped the center clasp of her bra. There were a number of sharp intakes of unneeded breath over what had been revealed by Emmett's actions. An intricately engraved brass heart with a seam down the middle atop a larger brass circle was imbedded into her chest. Alice place the chest next to him then stepped back. He opened it then dug around until he pulled out a scalpel. With quick precision, he used it to make an incision across the front of her shoulders then from the bottom of her throat to the top of the brass plate that continued from the bottom of the plate to the end of her sternum. A final incision went horizontally from her right side to her left side along the bottom edge of the sternum.

Next, he gently twisted the brass plate counterclockwise until its seam lined up with that of the heart. There was an audible click then the heart popped up and slid to the side to form handles. Bella gave a small sharp cry when he grasped the handles and proceeded to open her chest like a cabinet. The rest of us gasped in shock as we found out that her entire ribcage was made of brass. Inside the exposed cavity, her lungs were replaced by treated canvas sack that sat just underneath a clockwork heart. The ticking and whirring I'd mistaking attributed to her pocket watch on Monday were louder now. The right lung had a ragged hole and looked like it'd been popped.

"Rose, stand by her head and keep her calm. Dad, there are two sealed packages inside the chest. Each one holds an artificial lung. Grab one of them and stay close in case I need you. This might not be your area of expertise but your medical knowledge might be useful. The rest of you please stand back. Mistress, I'm afraid this is going to hurt," Em stated and we had done as requested but Bella gave him a look that screamed – _No shit, what was your first clue Captain Obvious._

Carlisle, like the rest of us, gaped at the competence the often childlike vampire showed. The patient, on the other hand, wasn't overly impressed with her savior at the moment because a low string of profanities in German slipped from her mouth. Had Esme understood the words, my mother would've been scandalized. She had glared at her son when he let out a few choice words while he worked.

A few minutes passed before my brother's oversized hands managed to detach the damaged lung. In the vacant space, we were able to see the gears and cogs of an internal power plant the clockwork heart kept operating. Electrical sparks arced from the power plant along her spine and danced within her chocolate eyes. After another ten minutes, the new canvas organ was in place and connected. It inflated and deflated at a faster rate than its counterpart but eventually synced with it so both moved at the same rhythm. Emmett closed the ribcage then pushed the two halves of the brass heart together and pressed the whole thing back into place before he turned the base plate clockwise to lock it closed. The next extraordinary thing nearly floored us; the edges of all the incisions fused back together without leaving any scars behind.

A fine sheen of sweat covered Bella's brow. I wiped it off then helped her sit up so that my father could examine her. Esme handed her a button up blouse to replace her ripped shirt. The younger girl clasped her bra closed then put on the borrowed garment. She took a few deep breathes to center herself then looked at all of us.

"I suppose zat zere are stories zat need to be told, yes," she offered weakly with her pronounced accent.

"I should say so but first, I would like to give you a proper examination since I know your secret now. That is if you agree, of course. I have all the necessary equipment up in my office," Carlisle commented and the brunette agreed. The rest of us waited in the living room for them to return. From the looks of everyone but Em, we were all processing what we'd just witnessed and wondered how it was possible.

The vampire and the whatever-she-was came back downstairs after nearly an hour. Carlisle took up his normal spot next to his mate on one of the love seats and Bella sat down next to me on the couch. Instinctively, I pulled the other girl closer into my side. The others smirked but she and I were more confused when we sighed contentedly. When she spoke, her American accent was firmly in place.

"I was born Isabella Marie Schwann in Vienna, Austria on May 1, 1850. My father, a soldier, died in action while my mother died in childbirth. My paternal grandfather ended up raising me. Augustus was a renowned clockmaker that had outlived his beloved wife and four sons. He was also a Rosicrucian, an esoteric scholar and a disciple of Mechanology. I had been born with a heart defect and the doctors thought that I was going to join my mother before the night was out. What nobody had counted on was that even as an infant, I was a fighter. I remained alive but sickly until I was four. My heart started to fail and Grandfather sought out every specialist on the continent but they all said the same thing; that I was going to die.

"Augustus refused to give up and used every ounce of knowledge and craftsmanship at his disposal to create what amounted to a clockwork pacemaker. Throughout my childhood, I had to have the pacemaker replaced as I grew. However, there was an unforeseen side effect; my heart only got weaker as the years went on. When I was eighteen, it finally started to fail completely. Grandfather had anticipated that eventuality and was prepared. You've seen the end result. Four years later, I still looked exactly the same. The chemical that was used during the final surgery, in combination with my internal power plant, perpetual regenerated my cells and virtual immortality as long as the clockwork heart kept working," Bella told us wearily.

She went on to explain about how Augustus founded the Knights of Mechanology and her arranged marriage to a fourth cousin named Heinricht. How, eventually, to preserve their secret they had triplets; two boys and a girl. Their children moved to America, changed their family name to Swan, and thrived. After her husband's death, Bella dedicated her life to looking after her children and their families. Then twenty years ago, her body went into a kind of seizure so she went to see one of the Knights and learned that the clockwork heart had started to fail.

"I started to pour over my Grandfather's journals to see if anything could be done and went as far as to build another heart. When the new one was put in place, it didn't work. I almost died on the table as the Knights performing the surgery scrambled to get the old one back in place. We never could figure out what was wrong but my guess is that there was something Augustus kept out of the plans he wrote down. For a while, I was consumed with finding out what it was until the past few years.

"I finally accepted that I was going to die and chose to spend some time with Charlie in Phoenix. When he fell in love with Phil and got married, I knew I needed to move on. I called Renee and she asked me to move in with her," she said with a yawn then promptly passed out.

"Relax everyone, I gave her a glass of glass of water after the examination with a sedative in it," Carlisle commented before anyone had a chance to panic. He directed Emmett to put the sleeping girl in the guest room next to mine. My brother reverently picked her up then flashed upstairs and back in the space of a couple of seconds.

"Before proceeding with the exam, I called Renee to let her know what was going on. She told me that Bella went into a deep depression before she moved in with Charlie and it got worse when he started dating Phil. The girl tried to hide it but her family knew her too well. When Bella moved here, the Chief thought the worst but then this week, something changed and she's pulled out Augustus' old journals again," my father told us.

"What changed," I asked and was puzzled by the desperation in my voice.

He smirked as he answered, "It seems that when Renee suggested she start dating, the Chief was told in no uncertain terms that unless there was a leggy girl with long blonde hair, the face of an Angel and the body of Aphrodite that it was never going to happen. Then after school on Monday, Bella seemed determined to live."

A smile broke out on my face at the thought that the brunette was interested enough in the chance of something between us to try to find a way to survive. Emmett cleared his throat and drew our attention.


	4. Chapter 4

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: The standard disclaimer still applies but please read the Author's Note at the end of the chapter._

Ch. 4: Brave, Brave Sir Emmett?

EPOV (Emmett)

After I cleared my throat, the eyes of my family turned my way. For the past week, ever since I recognized the Mistress, I've known that I was going to have to let them into my secret world. Not being a poet and certainly not a drama queen, I paused for a millisecond then told my story.

"Much like Davy Crockett, you all know that I was born in the mountain tops of Tennessee; the greenest state in the Land of the Free… sorry, I just couldn't resist," I began in a sing-song manner. Everyone just groaned at the lame joke.

I continued seriously, "For most of my life, my family was poor and we existed on subsistence hunting and farming. My Pa was an only child and Ma was the second youngest of seven children but the only girl. I was the oldest of three and the only son so as soon as I was old enough I helped out with the hunting and farming. The folks wanted some more for me and my sisters than being ignorant hillbillies. Ma made sure that the girls went to school and I went when I wasn't needed to work. She'd taught me to read the bible when I was small and I became an avid reader of anything I got my dirty hands on.

"My favorites were written by Mark Twain, Jules Vern, H.G. Well and Edgar Rice Burroughs. I often fell asleep dreaming of visiting exotic places and having adventures with fantastical machines. During the summers, all of us kids were sent to stay with Ma's younger brother, Uncle Bret. He'd run away from home when he was fourteen, eventually became a Merchant Marine then settled down with a wife in Chicago, were he worked on the docks. Every now and then, I'd go help him at work but I mostly spent my time in the library reading and re-reading my favorite authors.

"I was in my teens when the Volstead Act was in full swing and my family had fallen on hard times. Pa had been taught some special skills by his grandfather when he was a boy and Uncle Bret convinced him to use them to make money. See, Great-granddad was a moonshiner and showed Pa how to make 'shine and other spirits. With Speakeasies popping up like weeds in every major city, Pa took a chance and became a bootlegger. Of course, as his only son, I learned the family trade.

"After we lost an entire batch of whiskey one night, I went to bed wondering what Mr. Wells or Mr. Vern would do in my position. In a dream the answer came to me and when I woke up, I grabbed some paper and a pencil then sketched out the design for a new still and the outline for a better distilling process. Pa thought I was nuts but built the still from my drawing and used the new process. We were able to crank out more and safer hooch for our customers. He asked me to come up with more things to improve business and at the end of two months, gin and beer was added to our inventory.

"During a delivery up to Chicago, I stopped by a toy shop to buy something for the girls. I showed the owner some designs I'd made for some a wind-up Nautilus toy. He invited me to meet with some friends of his and I accepted. Ironically, the meeting was at the Speakeasy of one of Pa's best customers. The shopkeeper and his friends were members all Knights of Mechanology. After few more meetings during delivery trips, they invited me to join and I was Initiated.

"At Pa's insistence, with the Knights' help I used most of the bootlegging profits to open bank accounts for me and my sisters to go to college at the England. That way if the Revenuers ever found out about our operation and shut it down, they wouldn't be able to seize all the money. I'd returned home to say goodbye to my family before going off to MIT and went on that fateful hunting trip. Reports of my disappearance reached the KoM but during my first solo hunting trip, I sent a letter to my Knight Commander that said I'd been in an accident during an experiment and would contact him again when I could. After my newborn year, I managed to meet with the Knight Commander and he knew I was a vampire. He reported back to the Ruling Council and they offered me a special assignment."

I paused long enough to give my family time to absorb what I'd just said. They've only seen the part of me that I wanted them to; the carefree vampire that loved a good practical joke and existed to have fun. It was going to be a while before they incorporated this new information into their image of who I was. When I thought enough time had passed, I began again.

"I know that Bella gave you the Spark's Notes version already but there are things she's not aware of. The Knights of Mechanology was founded in 1854 by Augustus Schwann. While its primary purpose was to protect and aid the Mistress of Mechanology – his granddaughter, Isabella, also referred to as The Clockwork Girl – after his death, it had a secondary purpose that consumed its day-to-day activities.

"Augustus believed that civilization had reached a technological plateau that it should never rise above. If it did than we would face horrendous disasters of our own making. The current level during his lifetime was more than sufficient to provide us with everything we could ever need or imagine. He defined Technology as being new techniques in science; whereas, Mechanology was both the science of mechanisms and machines as well as the practical and creative applications of existing technology. It was the moral and ethical duty of all Knights to act as stewards for the prevention of "Science Run Amok." In short, it was a terrorist organization that monitored the scientific community and destroyed any new advancement that could lead to the prophesied disasters.

"By the late 1890's, membership started to decline because the radical methods employed to carry out the secondary objective were deemed too zealous. Then World War One happened and horrors of trench warfare and mustard gas made many re-evaluate their positions. There was no increase in membership but more effort was placed on monitoring the scientists. World War Two nearly destroyed the Order; the Ruling Council barely escaped Austria in time. To our eternal regret, Knights on both sides assisted with the development of the Atomic Bomb.

"The only bright point for us came in the form of John F. Kennedy. During the time that he and his PT boat crew were stranded, malnutrition weakened his immune system. He contracted a viral infection that ultimately led to heart failure. The Mistress was visiting one of her descendants at the Naval Hospital when he was brought in. While the doctors did everything in their power, she built a special clockwork heart and when they'd given up, saved the young officer's life. By decree of the Ruling Council, at the end of the war, the Knights took on a more advisory role in regards to the scientific advancement.

"The assassination of President Kennedy brought another paradigm shift. Scientists already working in their chosen fields were considered to corrupt to change. The Ruling Council thought the best way to promote the necessary changes was to influence the younger generations. To this end, the Order finances a number of Publishers that deal with Science Fiction. It's a bit passive aggressive but seems to be working. In the 1980's, author William Gibson became the father of a sub-genre called cyberpunk. It was paint a rather dark future of corporate greed and technological excess. Like Lovecraft, others added to his mythos.

"It wasn't long before some writers got the bright idea to graft cyberpunk elements to Victorian era fiction to expand on the works of Wells and Vern. Thus, the Steampunk sub-genre was born. Just like every other sub-genre of science fiction, it developed its own counterculture. Eventually, the Knights of Mechanology grafted themselves onto that counterculture. The majority of Steampunks are like their Trekker counterparts; they're in love with the ideals and use it as a form of escapism but generally live normal lives. About ten percent are lifestylers that become Knights," I was explaining when I was rudely interrupted.

"If Kennedy was a clockwork man, how come his injuries didn't heal," Jasper asked with incredulity.

"President Kennedy only had a clockwork heart and therefore wasn't immortal like Bella. Besides, Oswald's bullets didn't kill him; the assassin on the grassy knoll with the Tesla sonic rifle who blew up his heart did," I replied and had to stop laughing when his jaw dropped.

"Seriously," my brother enquired.

"Yeah, at least as far as Kennedy only having a clockwork heart; I was just messing with you on the rest of it. Now, shut up fucker and let me finish," I retorted.

"Emmett McCarty Cullen, that kind of language is uncalled for young man," Esme chided and glared at me.

"Sorry Mom," I apologized.

After she accepted, I continued, "The KoM is set up with a Ruling Council made up of three individuals; The Grandmaster, the Master Engineer and the Machinist General. Under our charter, the Grandmaster is responsible for the general administration of the Knights, monitoring current technological trends and providing direction to the membership. The Master Engineer is the historian/archivist of the Order and files any patents based on individual Knights' work. The Machinist General is in charge of recruiting, disseminating information and investigates alleged scientific abuses then providing evidence to the proper authorities. Originally, the title for that position was The Inquisitor General; whose sole purpose was to eliminate threats based on the criteria set forth by the first Grandmaster, Augustus Schwann.

"The author, Gail Carriger, is our current Grandmaster. She has proclaimed that the mission of the Knights of Mechanology is to adhere to its original primary purpose; that of protecting and aiding the Mistress. To help achieve this goal, the Knights are to seek out a special person to be trained to fulfill the role of the Mistress' Companion. Its secondary purpose is to promote the Steampunk ideal. Our current Machinist General has his work cut out for him just screening the candidates.

"Under the Ruling Council are nine Knight Commanders; one for the UK, one Europe, one for Asia, one for Australia and New Zealand, and five for North America. As of the start of this year, there are currently 400 Knights and God knows how many Squires. A Squire is anyone that is not a member but helps promote our objectives."

Bella was still asleep but Esme moved into the kitchen to start on her dinner. Carlisle had gone back up to his office because he wanted to call Chief Swan and ask her bring over Augustus' journals. Rose looked deep in thought while Jasper and Alice made goo-goo eyes on the love seat. Since I was bored, I decided to put in a DVD and had chosen The Wild Wild West. My pixie sister got pissed off at me when her mate became more interested in the movie than staring into her eyes.

JPOV

That movie proved that mechanology was the shit and now I wanted in on the action. I was going to round up some of the nomads that fought in the Civil War then we were going get us some of those giant clockwork spiders and the South would rise again. _DIE YANKEES, DIE,_ I screamed joyously in my head. In the blink of an eye, Alice was standing in front me with her hands on her hips and an angry expression because she'd had a vision of my plans.

"Damn, I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for these meddling vampires and their pixie," I accidentally muttered out loud then had to run before my loving mate kicked my ass.

"Em, when you said Companion, you weren't talking about a lover were you," Rose asked as I busted out through the glass wall.

**AN: The use of real people was only done as a plot device. Kennedy and Oswald are dead and I wanted to take a pot shot at the infamous conspiracy surrounding the assassination. Ms. Gail Carriger doesn't endorse this story or know of its existence. If she ever finds out I hope she'd be flattered.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Clockwork**

Ch. 5: Options?

RPOV

"Em, when you said Companion, you weren't talking about a lover were you," I asked in the deceptively calm tone I used whenever I was pissed. My bear of a brother easily recognized the tone and looked like he wanted to follow Jasper's example and flee like a little bitch but I pinned him place with a glare. If possible, he paled even more than normal and looked like he was trying to choose his words carefully.

"Not necessarily," Emmett hedged but quickly added, "By Companion, what we're really talking about is a person, or persons, that has been trained in mechanology and has enough knowledge to do basic repair work on the Mistress' component parts. Somebody that she can trust, a confidant and friend that will stand by her side as the world changes around her. Becoming romantically involved is not required but wouldn't be frowned upon if it happed."

"I see. How, exactly, are candidates chosen," was my terse entreaty while I tried to get a handle on my jealousy over anybody else being with Bella physically.

"It is the responsibility of every Knight to recommend one candidate. When they find a hopeful prospect, that person is given a basic test then that and their vital information is forwarded to the area's Knight Commander. They go over all the candidate's qualifications to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's crossed. If any information is missing or needs clarification then the sponsoring Knight is informed. Once everything is in order, the information packet is sent to the Machinist General. The MG goes through each of the packets meticulously and chooses the top ten candidates.

"Those candidates are then to be given a psychological evaluation and trained, provided that they pass. The Ruling Council then selects the best one and the process is repeated until there are ten potential Companions. At that point, the Mistress is contacted so she can choose whichever one she wants. A Knight can't sponsor another prospect until his current candidate is eliminated from consideration. Its understood that unless the Companion is immortal, there are going to be a few of them, I think somebody stole the idea from Doctor Who. The goal is to keep a stable of ten Companions at any given time," he clarified nervously.

"So, let's get started on my paperwork then you can call your Commander guy and tell him you've found the perfect Companion," I replied and noticed that Emmett had started to fidget and cast frightened glances at the busted glass wall our mother was currently scowling at.

"Um… yeah… about that… I kinda sorta already suggested Angela Webber after school got out last year," Emmett muttered in a rush just as our father came back down and joined us.

"WHAT," I shouted while visions of tearing the lummox into one-inch pieces then scattering them around the world danced in my head. Carlisle tossed him a set of keys before he took off running out the door.

"Renee said to use Bella's keys to go into her house to pick up the journals. You should take care of that while you are out, son," our father called after him.

"Where is everyone," the brunette muttered tiredly as she came downstairs, much to the shock of my parents and I.

"The sedative that I gave you should have kept you asleep for another few hours," Carlisle commented confused and the mostly human girl laughed.

"My pumping mechanism comes equipped with a filter that scrubs my blood clean. Alcohol and narcotics that I ingest or inject directly into my bloodstream only affect me for a couple of hours at most," she chirped happily then looked pointedly around the room to indicate an explanation was still required on our part and took a seat next to me on the couch.

"Emmett told us how he became a Knight and gave a detailed account of the Knights of Mechanology. Then we watched a movie, Jasper busted the glass wall to escape Alice's wrath for saying something stupid. Em explained about the whole Companion thing then ran off to pick up your grandfather's journals from your house," I offered and wasn't able to stop my grimace at the mention of Companions.

"I'd heard that Gail latched on to that abandoned Machinist Yeoman idea. The Ruling Council tried that back in the late 1930's. They sent word that they'd found some strapping young Knight that was perfect but changed their tune after they discovered I slept with women," she commented as if it were no big deal.

"What is the difference between a Machinist Yeoman and a Companion," my mother wondered as she came into the room and put a plate of food in front of Bella. Esme beamed after the younger girl complimented her cooking skills.

"Perceived definition really," Bella started the continued after a mouthful of beef stroganoff, "The duties of a yeoman, especially in the Navy, were to act as the Captain's secretary and butler. A few perverted individuals eventually started to define a yeoman as the person that takes care of the Captain's needs; wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Many Steampunk enthusiasts adopt personas that have some kind of military rank, so stay away from anything involving the title Yeoman to avoid crude jokes. Besides, Companion just sounds classier. But, I'm a little sad that I never met that McCarty guy when the Ruling Council wanted me to just for a laugh."

Both of my parents eyed me warily as the three of us recalled what Emmett had said about being given a special assignment when the Council found out he was a vampire. My brother was going to be even more of a dead man than the walking corpse he already was when he came home. He'd carefully omitted that Machinist Yeoman part from his story. I just needed to figure out the best way to cause the most pain. Jasper might help me if I asked.

The sound of a car coming up the driveway ended my internal planning. I tried to ignore the happiness that glinted in Esme's eyes and made an effort to reign in my temper before Sir Prude's A Lot came in and ruined the rest of my night. Bella seemed to notice my tension and wiggled up next to then placed her head on my shoulder. Edward walked through the door at the same time the rest of our siblings returned. From their expressions, they weren't happy with the Prodigal Son's return, either. The bronze haired mind reader's eyes darkened a hair when he glanced at the brunette nestled next to me but he attempted to cover it by greeting the family. Too bad none of us was buying his bullshit; even our mother sidestepped a touch and put herself between her son and the human.

EPOV (Edward)

Going up to Alaska to stay with the Denali's had been a most illuminating experience. While I reasserted the control over my baser instincts the lure of Isabella's blood and body had caused, I had availed myself of Tanya's services. It was shame that the strumpet had since deluded herself into believing that we were going to become mates. The highlight of my trip was the conversation that I had had with Eleazar. He believed that Isabella was my Singer, that her blood called to me more than any other. Apparently, a vampire either drained their Singer or took them as a mate.

The drive back was tedious but I had been anxious to get back my soon-to-be mate. Of course, she still needed to learn her proper place; first docily at my side where she could be shown off for the jewel she was and then in my bed. One thing was for certain, I needed to keep her away from the others. Esme might be alright to socialize with my Isabella because my mother's human husband made sure that she knew her place.

I pulled up to the house and flashed inside at the same time as a few of my siblings. _Hail, hail the gangs all here; the Buffoon, the Pixie, the Savage, the Heartless Shrew and our loving parents. Even my prize is here but leaning against the aforementioned Shrew would never do,_ I thought and knew that my eyes had started to darken as I imagined the human's blood sating my thirst while her body was used for my pleasure. My family appeared attached to the fragile thing and would never allow me near her if they noticed my eyes.

"Mother, Father, I have come home; miss me," I greeted Carlisle and Esme then moved on to offer half-hearted salutations to the inferior members of the family. When my eyes found Isabella again, she looked at me with a detached boredom that I was going to cure her of most expeditiously. To my utter horror, the ungrateful woman gave me the finger.


	6. Chapter 6

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight and I'm just playing around with it._

Ch. 6: The Bronze haired Boy and the Shy Girl

EPOV (Edward)

I stared indignantly at the human's vulgar display and she had the audacity to smirk at me. It was abundantly clear to me that her parents allowed the girl to become crass but I was going to teach her proper respect for her betters very soon.

"A lady should never use such foul gestures," I chastised her but she only glared defiantly back at me.

"I've never claimed to be a lady, child, but I do know that both sets of your parents, vampire and human, taught you not to disrespect your elders," she shot back unrepentantly.

My vision had tinted red as I began to lose control of my anger. Isabella needed to be taught a lesson that could only be learned from my hand colliding with her cheek. The traitorous members of my family prevented me from reaching the smug mortal. Emmett grabbed me by the throat and slammed me into a wall while Rosalie crouched protectively in front of the brunette. The others formed a line between my brother and sister. As I fought against the brute's grasp, their thoughts flooded my mind.

In mute horror, I watched the events of the past day. Images of Isabella's chest spread open and the awful machinery it contained were burned into my perfect memory. If I were still human, they would be guaranteed to give me nightmares. Then I learned its story, not that I cared. When the foreign thoughts finished playing, I looked at the thing with a mixture of disgust and possessiveness. Rose had the nerve to growl at me while the ape released me and took up a position next to the blonde harpy.

"Get out of my way that belongs to me. I own its blood and everything else and if you do not step aside, I shall take pleasure in forcing you," I hissed through clenched teeth. The other vampires glared at me as though I was insane but the walking toaster knew the truth of my words. It stepped from behind Emmett and Rose but stopped still a few feet from me.

"You don't now, nor shall you ever own me. I choose my own companions and lovers but you will never be either. If you continue to be a prick, I'll ask your parents if they want me to surgically remove your head from your ass and reattach it where it properly belongs. Do you understand or do I need to use smaller words," the thing known as Isabella taunted me as my so-called brothers and sisters snickered.

I needed to regain my composure, so I decided to go for a hunt. Carlisle and Esme followed me, no doubt to discuss my behavior. There was nothing I could do to rectify the situation… for now that is.

APOV (Angela)

_*Friday Afternoon*_

It'd been an interesting week at school since the arrival of Bella Swan. The aftermath of her encounter with Mr. Mason on Monday had quickly become a school legend. When I arrived home that afternoon, I'd felt bad about the new girl dying but then I talked to my mom about it and she reminded me that Bella shouldn't be treated any differently because she was sick. In fact, I thought she was very brave to make the most of what time she had left. I admired her attitude of not taking guff from anyone and planned on befriending the other girl if she'd let me.

The other girl had welcomed my friendship and I noticed that her eyes had a new steely determination in them. While she'd already accepted her pending death, it looked as though she was going to put up one hell of a fight before she went. Unfortunately, our fellow students – other than the Cullen's – had started to treat Bella like a leper so she joined Ben and me at a table near the Cullen's during lunch. I soon noticed that Emmett Cullen would watch her protectively but every now and then he cast me a speculative look.

In fact, lunch had become my favorite period. I'd arrived at the table first on Tuesday then rushed through the line to get my food. I started in on my salad and opened my tattered copy of Around the World in 80 Days. This was about the hundredth time that I'd read it but it was one of my favorites. Ben arrived at the table with his insulated lunch bag as I finished my third page. Bella dropped into one of the vacant seats and was eating a slice of pizza. When she'd taken the last bite, she wiped her hands clean then pulled a book out of her backpack. At first, I thought it was a Jane Austin novel but had to put my own book down after I noticed the title; Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.

Ben laughed at the title but the other girl and I fell into a long conversation about re-interpreting classic literature. Bella was very knowledgeable about the classics, especially Vern and Wells, but admitted the current trend of adding zombies or science fiction concepts to them was a guilty pleasure. My heart fluttered as I listened to the other girl speak so passionately.

Though I'd a crush on Ben since junior high, I'd realized during my freshman year that I was bi-sexual. The problem with growing up in such a small town as Forks was that I knew all the local girls and they'd done nothing for me. That changed when the Cullen's moved here last year. Rosalie, Alice and Emmett joined Ben in my fantasy bank; I alternated between them whenever I touched myself. Bella's image was added and began to increasingly star in my shower nozzle masturbation sessions.

I'd been worried about the accident that'd happened at school and hoped Bella was doing alright. The Cullen's had whisked her away but figured Dr. Cullen was going to treat her. When I pulled up at my house, I grabbed the mail from the mailbox then went inside. My mother called out a greeting as the twins rushed me. They might be small but the boys entangled themselves around my legs and caused me to stumble. Mom offered them cookies and they were gone as quickly as they'd arrived.

I rushed up to my room, dropped off my backpack and then returned downstairs to the kitchen. My mother placed a plate of cookies in front of my usual chair then retrieved the mail from me. She clucked as she sorted through the various correspondences, most were bills but a thick legal sized envelope made her pause. The bills were tossed onto the counter then she opened the thick envelope. It held two sheets of paper, that Mom glanced over quickly, and another sealed envelope. She gave it to me and I noticed it had my name written on it in an elegant script.

"It seems that you've been invited to attend a Youth Ministry seminar in Seattle this weekend. If you want to go then I'll discuss it with your dad at dinner. That other envelope is the itinerary," Mom commented and waited for an answer. If she seriously thought I'd pass on a weekend free from mandatory babysitting then she was mistaken.

"Sure, it sounds like fun," I lied easily because the last thing I wanted to do this weekend was learn about being a youth minister. I believed in God and everything but serving in a church wasn't my thing, not that there was anything wrong with dedicating yourself to the Heavenly Father. I always thought I was meant for something different.

After there were no more cookies on my plate, I escaped up to my room to do my homework. There wasn't much, just some history and math which had only taken about an hour and a half to finish. I was about to start reading one of the books that Bella had recommended when I remembered the envelope. I opened it and read over the enclosed itinerary. Something odd was going on.

For starters, I'd never signed up for any seminars or knew of any that were being held in the area. Then there was the envelope and its contents, both were made from high quality linen stock; not the kind of stationary most churches or religious organizations often used. Finally, the itinerary had been printed in such a way that the right margin was a good three inches wide. I held up paper to the lamp on my nightstand but nothing was revealed. Not wanting to let it go, I found the stupid lightsaber pen that Ben had given me for my last birthday. It lit up with a black light whenever you pushed down on the clip. When I passed it over the blank space, the weak light revealed a secret message.

_Miss Angela Webber,_

_Congratulations on passing this test and I apologize for being forced to resort to such theatrics. You are cordially invited to spend the weekend at an exclusive club. A car will bring you to Seattle should you choose to accept this invitation. Perhaps you shall find the key to your future while here._

_Sincerely,_

_Basil Skinner, KC_

I fell asleep wondering about what waited for me in Seattle.

_*The Present*_

Seattle had been life changing, I truly thought I'd found where I belonged. My parents called and confirmed that I'd go to the seminar. On Saturday morning, a driver showed up like promised and picked me up. After getting to the city, I learned that the private club catered to something called Steampunk. By Sunday, I'd witnessed things that my favorite authors only dreamed of. Basil told me the truth about The Mistress and the Knights of Mechanology. I was initiated before returning home and agreed to train to become her Companion. The only thing I hadn't learned was who our Mistress really was but that would come in time.

The first few classes of the day dragged and I found myself wishing for lunch to arrive. Ben was waiting for me at our table in the cafeteria. He started to go on about some new comic book he'd bought over the weekend and I discovered that my feelings for him had started to cool into nothing but friendship. Bella came in flanked by the Cullen Bunch but made her way over after buying her lunch. Rosalie Hale joined us and I found it difficult to stay focused on our conversation. The blonde goddess only offered a comment here and there as the other girl spoke animatedly about doing a group outing to Port Angeles. The rest of the day went by faster than it had earlier and I found myself being stopped on the way to the parking lot.

"Hey… Ang… I was wondering if you would go to movies with me Friday night," Ben asked nervously and I felt a twinge of guilt over how my feelings changed. It was that guilt that made me agree to the date. I knew it wasn't right to lead him on but I felt he deserved a chance.

LPOV

My body felt warm from the influx of fresh blood and I dropped the Asian girl's lifeless body. I made my way lazily back to my companions and found them just finishing their meals.

"Laurent, you're just in time we've a new game to play in someplace called Forks and we need to leave soon," James told me with a smile before he kissed Victoria passionately. My lips curled into a cruel smile at the prospect of a brief respite to our boredom.

The Tracker broke away from his mate and told us that our intended quarry was a human girl named Bella Swan. He promised that it was going to be our best game ever. We disposed of the remains of our meals then headed off to play. It had only taken a couple of hours to reach outskirts of Port Angeles, Washington. A couple of hotel rooms had already been waiting for us. The three of us were going to have a few days of relaxation before the fun began.

**AN: You didn't think I'd leave Jimmy-boy and Company out, did you? Poor Bella, first Rose then Edwierdo and now Angela; what would happen if Jacob was added to the mix?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: The only thing I own is this story, Twilight and its characters are all SM's._

Ch.7: Air Maiden

_*Rewind back to Friday Night*_

BPOV

The air in the Cullen living room was fife with tension after my little verbal exchange with Edward. He quickly fled through the busted glass wall followed by his parents but I knew they'd come back soon. I used the opportunity to re-examine the remaining vampires. Jasper's clothes were barely held together strips of cloth and he looked like he'd lost a fight with a tiger while little Alice wore a rather smug look. The disheveled vampire rushed upstairs to change then returned about two minutes later. Emmett sat down the box that contained my grandfather's journals then sat down in front of the television and started to play a video game. Finally, my eyes took in Rosalie and I had the sudden urge for the floor to open up then swallow me whole. The blonde beauty stood there with her hip cocked, arms folded across her chest, one eyebrow arched sternly and an expected glare in her eyes.

When it became clear to her that I didn't know what she was waiting for, she spoke tightly, "You told my moronic brother that you chose your companions and lovers. From what I learned before you woke up, I can correctly assume that I am that choice; not that you are going to do anything about it."

"Yes, you assume correctly. As much as I want to forge a relationship with you, it's not fair to you to start something when I don't know how much longer I've got to live… ," I confirmed then started to explain further when the thwack of stone on skin sounded and my cheek stung with pain from the vampire's slap.

"That was for pulling an Edward. How dare you presume to take away my choice in the matter? I'm fully aware of your situation and I would rather spend a few precious moments of happiness with you then spend eternity regretting not being able to because one of us was too scared to take the chance," Rose hissed then stepped into my personal space and cupped both my cheeks with her hands. Her expression became determined then she kissed me with a fiery passion that made me weak in the knees and made me forget my own name for a few moments.

"And that was a taste of what you've got to live for. It is my promise that fighting for every scrap of happiness we can get will be worth it and if you do end up dying, you'll go with the knowledge that we both gave everything we could or more without any regrets," she continued after she broke the kiss and guided us to one of the love seats. Rose sat on the cushion and placed me into her lap then continued to kiss me. All of the objections that I'd come up with about why this was a bad idea burned away to ash and I wasn't able to find it in me to care. For the first time in a long time, I was happy.

We lost track of time as the kissing deepened. The vampire moaned as I let some of my internal electricity dance across my lips then it was my turn to moan when her tongue slipped past my lips and explored my mouth. I felt my panties get soaked from my increasingly damp folds and had the pleasure of watching my paramour's eyes darken further as her nostrils flared when she caught the scent. Rose panicked after ten minutes and tried to break the kiss but I wasn't having it. One of the good things about having clockwork in my chest was that my internal power plant kept the artificial lungs working whenever I forgot to breath. The other girl quickly caught on and stopped trying to pull away. The sound of somebody clearing their throat and the feint sound of a cell phone ringing brought us out of our oral explorations.

Carlisle looked like he wanted to ask some more questions and I noticed the rest of the Cullen's other than Edward were grinning. Emmett was giving two thumbs up as he talked to somebody on his phone. With a show of annoyance, I removed myself from Rose's lap and had taken up a spot on the cushion next to her. Once I felt myself sufficiently comfortable in my new position, I motioned to the good doctor to get on with it.

"I know this sounds bizarre after what most of us witnessed this afternoon but I find some of the things that both you and Emmett revealed to be a bit fantastical," the Cullen patriarch commented and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I looked over to Em who'd finished his call and rejoined us.

"That was Basil, I need to head up to Seattle for the weekend because Angela Webber has been invited to the club for testing," the huge vampire answered my questioning look.

"Basil… Basil Exposition of British Intelligence," I asked with faux excitement and he laughed at my Austin Powers reference.

"Nope, Basil the Knight Commander; he wants me to keep an eye on my prospect. If she passes the test then I'll start her training," Emmett replied and I felt the girl next to me stiffen slightly. I nodded then turned my attention back to his father.

"If you can wait until morning then I will show you part of my world," I offered then yawned because it'd been an exhausting.

"Of course, it's been a long day and you need rest," Carlisle agreed while he and his wife looked at me with concern.

"Good, Rose can take me home then in the morning you can meet me in Port Angeles," I told him then wished everyone a goodnight as my new girlfriend carried me out to her car and drove me home.

The first half of the relatively short drive, due to Rose's excessive need for speed, was spent in nervous silence. When the car pulled to a stop in front of my house, the goddess in the driver's seat turned to me with a stern, possessive, look. She reached over then pulled me into another panty soaking kiss.

"Just in case what happened earlier was unclear, you're mine," the blonde breathed after she pulled away from the kiss. Normally, I balked at such autocratic behavior and gave the perpetrator a good what for, but in this instance I decided to have some fun with it.

"Really Miss Hale, I think there's a tiny flaw in your assertion because I don't see a ring on my finger," I teased as I held up my left hand and wiggled my fingers at her then slid out the car. The shocked look on her face made me giggle.

I was inside and nearly up to my room when Rose recovered and snatched me up then carried me the rest of the way. When she placed me gently on my bed, I noticed the look of sheer joy on her angelic face. Her beaming smile made my stomach flutter and my clockwork heart skip a phantom beat.

"Did you mean that," she asked so full of hope that it took my breath away so all I could do for a few seconds was nod.

The blonde vampire, still beaming, launched herself at me with just enough force to push me back onto the bed. Her lips kissed mine softly then she rested our foreheads together while her arms held me in a loving embrace. We lost ourselves in each others' eyes as we lay in bed and I fought to keep sleep at bay.

"Just so you know, don't think you'll get away with all that possessive crap from earlier anymore. That was a one-shot deal; I'm not some spineless little House Frau. If we are going to do this relationship thing, for however long I've got left, then it's going to be an equal partnership, Missy," I yawned then finished, "You're going to want to go home in the morning to change. You and your family need to meet me at he PA Airport private hangers at 10 a.m. Also, text Emmett and tell him 500 on Pandora, he'll understand."

My eyes fluttered shut, I stopped fighting and had let sleep finally claim me. I was vaguely aware of Rose scoffing at my last comment.

"She's going to be a handful," I thought I heard her mutter but I might've been wrong.

RPOV

I had mixed feelings as I watched the brunette in my arms sleep. On the one hand, there was elation that Bella agreed to be mine. On the other, my inner beast was pissed that she thought there was going to be any kind of equality because she was mine. The feminist in me totally agreed with her but the vampire was jealous, possessive, domineering and knew she was the top of the food chain. Both halves needed to find a safe compromise I wanted to keep the other girl. At the moment, the only thing both sides agreed on was that I needed a mate that was going to fight me tooth and claw.

Instead of sending a text, I slipped out of bed long enough to retrieve my cell phone then crawled back into bed and called my brother. A glance at the ornate alarm clock on the nightstand told me that he was already near Seattle.

"Hey Rosie, I didn't think anyone would be hearing from you tonight," Emmett said after he picked up and I imaged his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. I chuckled then passed along my mate's message and told him where the family was meeting her in the morning. He never answered when I asked about the message and actually pouted about the Port Angeles thing. Before I was able to press him about that, he muttered a fast goodbye then hung up. _Now I'm even more curious,_ I thought as I tossed the cell onto the nightstand.

Edward was the first one to see me when I returned home. The last thing I wanted to deal with this morning was his bullshit. I tried to turn to the remaining members of my family to fill them in on today's plan but the drama queen was bound and determined to force a confrontation. Before anyone had a chance to react, the bronze haired vampire had me pinned against the nearest wall by my throat. Being a mind reader, he had seen all the memories of my last human moments and knew I was terrified of being a victim again.

"Isabella is mine and you will be hurt if you try anything with her," he hissed in my ear.

Memories of the brutal gang rape I'd suffered at the hands of my fiancé and his friends tried to overwhelm me and normally they would have. I was still been a newborn when I got my revenge. I hunted down each one of the bastards and made them pay. Despite the fact that those monsters were long dead, I still felt everything from that night whenever those memories resurfaced. Eddie counted on that but he was about to get the surprise of his life because I was sick of letting those images have power over me any longer. His eyes widened in shock when he heard my growl of pure rage.

Without thinking, my knee connected with his nuts and I was released as he doubled over in pain. I latched on to the wrist of the hand that had been holding me before it fell too far then there was the sound of tearing metal and I ripped the hand off as he screamed. Jasper stopped me before I could attack again. He, Alice and Esme held me back while Carlisle picked up the severed hand from where it fell and helped fuse it back onto his first companion. As soon as the procedure was completed, he flashed over to check on me and my mild-mannered mother rushed Edward and kicked the ever loving shit out of him.

"YOU. NEVER. RAISE. A. HAND. TO. A. WOMEN. AGAIN. BELLA. DOES. NOT. BELONG. TO. YOU. SHE. CHOSE. ROSE. TOUCH. EITHER. ONE. AGAIN. AND. I. WILL. END. YOU," the caramel haired vampire shouted at him and made sure to punctuate each word with a strike. When she finished, she ordered him to go for a hunt then turned to the rest of us. She calmed down with each step she took as she walked over to where we were still huddled together.

"Are you okay, Kitten," Esme asked me like the concerned mother she truly was.

After multiple assurances from me, my father and my siblings she finally relented then directed us to sit down in the living room. I explained everything that happened after I'd taken Bella home and where we needed to meet her. We only had three hours so Alice screeched that we needed get ready. I ended up taking a hot shower then wandered through my walk-in closet looking for the perfect outfit. In the end, I chose a simple sundress and sandals. I kept my hair loose and completed the simple but stylish look with minimal make-up. When I went back downstairs, I found my parents were already there along with cleaned up Edward.

"He promised to behave," my mother said before I was able to comment and gave me a look that kept me silent. Instead, I just nodded then took a seat as far from the not-so-golden-boy. The three of us settled into a tense silence when Alice joined us. I noticed that Esme had chosen a similar look to mine, while my sister was decked out like a miniature Scarlett O'Hara. My father and brother were in dark pressed slacks and white dress shirts. I was about to ask about the Pixie's outfit when Jasper swaggered down the stairs in his full Confederate Major's uniform. Even I admitted that he looked hot.

Alice stalled my questions when she pointed out that it 9:14 and we needed to get going. We would've had to take two cars anyway but my sister's insane dress made it even more necessary. That meant that I was forced to take the douche with me in my M3. Of course, he sulked like a little bitch the whole ride. We made it to the PA Airport with ten minutes to spare and a guard at the entrance gate to the private hanger area stopped Carlisle's Mercedes.

"Can I help you, sir," the guard asked in his best official tone.

"Yes, I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen, my family and I were told to meet Isabella Swan here," he explained and the guard waved us through.

"Go in, you can't miss where you're going," the uniformed human said with a smirk.

I followed my father as he drove through the gate. Both cars had just passed the first set of hangars when we spotted our destination. A large new hangar that had been built at the far end of the tarmac, anchored in front of it was something straight from the turn of the century; a rigid airship. It was smaller than most of the zeppelins you found pictures of in history books with a black and silver color scheme instead of the usual grey one; Air Maiden was spelled out in Elegant silver script along the side. The other difference was that the gasbag skeleton sat on top of what looked like flat bottomed ship's hull. We exited the cars in stunned silence and made our way over to it. There were a few airport employees clustered around one of the anchor ropes gawking. The sound of somebody coming down the gangway that led inside the hull drew everyone's attention.

My eyes popped out of my head and my jaw dropped as Bella made her entrance. The brunette was decked out in a fitted Victorian style military uniform that was black with silver trim along the collar and sleeve cuffs along with silver buttons. The black pants flared out slightly at her thighs then tapered in to hug her legs before they tucked into her calf high black boots. A longer black jacket with the same silver accents hung from her shoulders like a cape and the matching officer's cap was turned at a rakish angle. If Jasper looked hot in his uniform, Bella was panty-dropping-fuck-me-now-and-never-stop hot. She grinned coyly at my blatant eye fucking as she marched over to us.

"Good morning, I zought zat zis was a perfect day for flying. Come aboard, freely and of you own will," Bella called out playfully in her natural Austrian accent. She gave me a hug and kiss then greeted the rest of my family in turn.

"Suck up," I muttered to Alice when she curtsied and I understood she was trying to impress my mate with her costume.

The clockwork girl linked arms with me then led us into the Air Maiden explaining as she went, "The superstructure for the Air Maiden was built a few years before Otto drew the designs for his first Zeppelin. In fact, he incorporated some of my baby's aspects into that design but those aspects were of the general variety. As you no doubt noticed, the hull is a separate structure that the gasbag skeleton is grafted to. The hull itself has three and a half decks. The half deck is where the bridge is located. This, the primary deck, contains a large dayroom, library, billiards room, my office and the galley. The deck below us holds four staterooms, my cabin and a lab. The lower deck houses the massive engine room."

The interior of the rooms on the primary deck had darkly stained oak panel walls with a deep burgundy carpet along the floor and polished brass fixtures. All the furnishings were definitely Victorian. Bella gave us a tour of the first two decks then the bridge before asking us to find seats in the dayroom for lift off. It wasn't until we were on the bridge did we get our first glimpse of her world. Besides the large, multi-spoke, ships wheel that worked the rudders in front of the twin screws fixed to the stern of the hull. The rest of the space along the small deck was filled with machines straight out of a science fiction novel. I joined Esme, Alice and Edward down in the dayroom while Carlisle and Jasper remained on the bridge. We could still hear the conversation they had.

"This is Port Angeles Tower to the Air Maiden, you're clear to cut your moorings and take off," a static laced disembodied voice came from a small speaker attached to the bridge bulkhead.

My mother, sister and I looked out the large windows and watched the airports ground crew untied the mooring lines. Edward, who'd still been pouting in a corner, looked panicked when the airship began to drift upward. I closed my eyes then imaged what was happening on the bridge as I continued to listen to the conversation. Bella was at the helm as we climbed to our cruising altitude.

"Is this an Analytical Engine," my father asked in an awed voice. I pictured the device that had sat on a counter to the left of the helm area.

"Yes, Babbage was a century ahead of his time. It's connected to the ships automated flight controls and the echolocation scope. Punch cards input co-ordinates to the controls and it corrects for any obstructions the scope picks up," she answered and I mentally saw her point from the forerunner of the modern computer to the large cabinet to the right of the helm that looked like some kind of antiquI remembered the panel which held the helm also housed the altimeter and various gauges. There was also a primitive radio transmitter for communicating with the tower. A speaking tube ran from the panel to the engine room. I was shocked when I realized that there wasn't any crew other than Bella.

"Incredible," Jasper breathed and our father agreed with him.

"Would one of you like to put the punch card into the Analytical Engine," the clockwork girl asked the two men and my brother jumped at the chance. I remembered his reaction to that movie the other day and I stifled a giggle.

"Where are we going," my father enquired and I had to admit that I was curious myself.

"That card will input a course that will take us on a tour from here to Spokane and Olympia and bring us back by morning," Bella told him. We heard the clicks and whirs as Jasper fed the card into the machine. When the autopilot engaged, the three of them joined us.

Each of them took a seat next to their mates and I tried not to shoot Eddie a smug smirk when the brunette girl laid her coat over an empty chaise then cuddled into my side. We enjoy a moment of comfortable silence then I leaned over and kissed my mate on top of her head. She smiled then sat up straighter and waited for the questions to begin.

"Did you design the interior as well," my mother asked and gazed around at the furnishings.

"Yes, I figured if I was going to actually build this airship, I wanted to travel in style. If you check out the state rooms, you'll find a bathroom with a working shower in each of them," Bella replied and told us to pick which stateroom we wanted.

"Rosalie was under the impression that she was your mate, Isabella, yet you want her to have her own room; some mate you turned out to be," Edward sneered and I growled but then I wasn't the only one. The clockwork girl placed a hand on my shoulder and kept me from ripping his fucking head off.

"Actually, she will be staying with me unless she wishes to have her own room. Regardless, it's none of your business and you'd do well to remember that. I've got no qualms about having Jasper throw you out. The fall might not kill you but it'll hurt like hell," she shot back with a polite smile. At that moment, her stomach started to growl.

"Bella, if you show me around the galley, I will make you something to eat," Esme offered and the younger woman complied after a brief refusal. It had been my mother's glare that made her quickly acquiesce.

The second the maternal vampire started to bustle about the galley, Bella suggested the rest of us go explore. The Pixie, naturally, rushed down to explore the staterooms after she heard our host mention that the closets were stocked. Bitch-boy meandered to the billiards room to sulk in peace and Jazz flashed to the library. I gave a quick glance over my shoulder to my mate; she was discussing menu options with Esme, and then rushed to the bridge for a closer look.

It wasn't long before floor was littered with panel covers from the bottom of each station. The small clutch purse I'd brought with me contained a small mag light. I was using the powerful beam of the petite object to illuminate the inner workings of the equipment. Not surprisingly, the guts of the various devices were a mixture of modern wiring and Victorian age tech. It became obvious that, when she was able, Bella used the more primitive materials to mimic the functions of their cutting edge counterparts. I could've lost myself in examinations but what I really wanted to do was get a look at the schematics and only the brunette could grant that request. I replaced the covers then went off to talk to her.

Bella wasn't in the galley or anywhere on the primary deck, nor was she in her lab but Carlisle had made himself home there. My father nodded in my direction then continued to puzzle over the bizarre instruments. A shrill cry off joy told me that Alice was having fun as she snooped through the closets. When I found the cabin I was to share with the clockwork girl empty, I realized where she was. I was halfway down the ladder to the engine room when the sound of a German accented voice vehemently uttering the Power Words known by mechanics the world over reached me along with Jasper's laughing.

My brother was leaning against a bulkhead and faced away from me. I noticed a black military coat tossed casually over a railing, a pair of uniformed legs stuck out onto the catwalk below it but the rest of the body was hidden inside the gear work of one of the two engines. Jasper nodded at me then motioned his head down the catwalk.

"My ol' Pappy used to swear a blue streak, I might not know the language but the meaning of her words are pretty clear. That lil' gal of yours has got a mouth that'd make a sailor blush," he stated with a smile and I had to agree with him.

"_You cock sucking, duck fucking, piece of shit bolt,"_ Bella growled and I laughed at her imagery. Admittedly, her verbiage sounded harsher in German but it was still funny. At the sound of my voice she pushed herself out from the machinery and fixed me with a mock glare. I took an unnecessary breath that hitched at the sight of her; there were grease smeared in several places on her face and the tank top that she wore was thin enough to see that she wasn't wearing a bra and her nipples were hard. Jazz scented my arousal then quickly fled. Before she knew it, I had the other girl thrown over my shoulder, her jacket in hand then flashed to our room. It was time to claim my mate.

**AN: Sorry, I'd wanted to get this chapter out earlier this past week but life interfered with writing. Don't kill me for not continuing with the lemon but you'll find out what happened in the chapter after the next one because it deals with what went on in Seattle.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: The standard disclaimer applies._

Ch. 8: Getting Punked

_*The Seattle Weekend*_

APOV (Angela)

My alarm had gone off at 6:30 in morning and I mentally cursed myself then wondered why I'd set it for such a God forsaken hour on a Saturday. As I shook off the haze of sleep, I remembered dad had called in the confirmation that I was going to the Youth Ministry seminar and my driver was going to be here at 8 a.m. Normally, I'd have been more reluctant to roll my happy tush out of bed so early on a weekend morning but I knew the seminar was just a cover story and I was anxious to find out what kind of club felt the need to use it. I ran to the bathroom then jumped into a nice hot shower, which was something I hardly ever got because my parents usually used up all the hot water in the mornings. Once I was clean and wide awake, I returned to my room and got dressed then packed an overnight bag.

Both of my parents had gotten up while I was in the bathroom because I found them in the kitchen after I rushed downstairs. Mom was cooking breakfast while my father read the newspaper but the seemed a little nervous. I embraced my inner Nancy Drew and deduced that they were having second thoughts about me going on an overnight trip. I'd been surprised when they hadn't asked more questions when the confirmation call was made. Despite laboring under the misconception that it was some kind of Church function, they were both well aware that _stuff_ could happen whenever you put hormonal teenagers, regardless of upbringing, together with minimal adult supervision. My conception was proof of the whole where there's a will thing.

The driver showed up early and talked with my parental units as I ate the short stack of pancakes with a side of sausage links that Mom hand made for me. He assured them that there were going to be plenty of chaperones on hand to prevent anything improper from happening over the course of the seminar. They were provided with all the necessary contact information then it was time to go. The driver picked up my overnight bag then escorted me to the car. He climbed into the driver's seat after putting the bag into trunk then we began the three hour drive to Seattle. I'd found a thin trade paperback sized copy of The Time Machine with a retro cover next to me on the back seat, so I read for the duration of the trip.

I finished the last page about five minutes before we pulled up in front of a well kept four-story brownstone in what had been a well off neighborhood in the past and was now an art district. My escort led me through the only visible door and left me inside a small entryway before he returned to the car. As soon as the outer door had closed behind him, the inner door was opened by what appeared to be a bronze robot dressed in a butler's uniform. Cautiously, I walked inside and the metal servant closed the door behind me. A woman dressed in a slate grey Victorian style dress waited for me in the middle of the foyer. Her midnight black hair was pulled back and up in a period style and her make-up was tastefully done.

"Please do not be alarmed, automatons perform most of the domestic chores here, Miss Webber," the extra from a Jane Austin movie offered then finished, "Welcome to The Phantasmagoria, a private Steampunk club. I'm Miss Vanessa Wolfe, I'll be your chaperone and guide during your visit. If you will follow me up to your room, we shall get you properly kitted out then continue on into the Sanctum."

"Call me Angela, what's Steampunk," I asked as I followed behind the other woman. She was about three years older than I was.

"Steampunk is a sub-genre of Science Fiction that grafts technological advancements onto the Victorian age. Current authors in the genre build on what Wells and his contemporaries created. Fans tend to dress in period costumes and often add fanciful elements like steam powered, or clockwork, limbs and gear to their outfits," my chaperone answered but I could tell there was something she was leaving out.

The two of us continued up the stairs until we reached the fourth floor then she guided me down the hall until we reached our destination. Vanessa stopped in front of the last door on the right side of the hall and opened it. Not surprisingly, it was decked out with Victorian splendor but I wasn't about to complain. The fact was that the room was twice the size of my bedroom back home and it's dominate feature was the queen sized four-poster bed. After the door was closed, I placed my bag on the bed while the other woman opened the closet and had taken an opaque plastic garment bag. The bag was hung from the open door then Miss Wolfe unzipped it and started to remove a light blue period dress, undergarments and accessories. Once she helped me get everything on, I noticed that the outfit had that off-the-rack quality because it fit but not as well as it could have. It was like the entire ensemble came from a professional theatrical prop house. The kind of thing provided to extras.

"Now that you're looking more civilized, we can go on with the tour," Vanessa assessed then went on, "The Phantasmagoria, as you have seen, has four levels above ground and another three below street level that you haven't. The fourth floor is where several guest rooms are located. The third floor is taken up by Haversham & Locke's, a haberdashery and dress shop that caters to our members. They also provide the generic kits for our visitors. The second floor is where the club's offices and the owner's private apartment are. On the other side of the foyer on the first floor is the Uncommon Room; a restaurant and bar. The first sublevel is The Promenade which is full of shops, most notably Pandora's and The Mad Scientist dance club. The other two levels are restricted to members only."

"When will I meet Mr. Skinner and why was I invited here," I asked as we made our way back down to the first floor. She hesitated for a heartbeat and looked like she was choosing her words carefully.

"Your host will meet with you later this evening for dinner. I will give you a brief tour of the areas you'll have access to then there will be a couple of hours to mingle on your own then I'll fetch you for your supper appointment," she finally said then finally led me through the doors at the opposite end of the foyer from the entryway.

The Uncommon Room had cream colored walls with a darkly stained hardwood floor, matching wall accents and furnishings. A Union Jack hung along the wall behind the massive dark oak bar. The lighting fixtures were made of brass and done in such a way that it caused the light bulbs to flicker and gave the illusion of being gaslight. Interspersed along the walls and between the tables and booths were what looked like replicas of things from my favorite novels. One corner of the room was dominated by an ornate Oriental rug; comfortable looking leather winged back chairs and had been set up like a reading area.

The place was half full but everyone was decked out in their finest costumes, not a few of which were ornamented various fantastical gizmos. Many of them glanced my way while Miss Wolfe guided us to a table to enjoy some lunch. For the first time since I'd met her, my ears picked out a faint clicking that came from her gloved hands. Part of me was upset that I hadn't noticed the gloves before. She noticed my gaze on her gloves and removed them before she accepted a menu from our waitress. Instead of creamy flesh that matched the rest of her skin, her delicate hands appeared to be made of bronze.

I thought they were costume pieces and was about to ask if she'd had them made from molds of her hands. She smirked then rolled up part of her left sleeve and showed me more of the metal where her lower forearm should've been. The dark haired woman turned it over so that the top of her hand was on the table then opened a compartment in her palm. I stifled a gasp when I saw the gears inside then heard the clicks as she wiggled her fingers. Satisfied at my reaction, Vanessa closed up her hand then rolled down her sleeve.

"How," I asked after I recovered from my initial shock. My companion waved off the question at the same time our waitress came back for our orders.

"All of your questions will be answered at dinner," she told me then addressed our server, "We'll each have the sea bass with roasted baby potatoes and side Caesar salads. I'd like a Diet Coke to drink."

"Regular Coke for me, please," I requested when the waitress looked at me then sent a questioning look at my companion.

"Dinner tonight might be on the heavy side so I figure you'd appreciate a lighter meal now," the slightly older girl told me then our drinks appeared. She suddenly looked like she'd just remembered something and touched the broach at her throat. The onyx stone that held a woman's profile done in ivory pivoted on a swivel then locked into place so that the reverse side showed; instead of the woman's profile, a cog wheel with crossed swords laid over it sat in the center of the stone. Again, she forestalled any questions I had with a wave of her hand. My curiosity intensified when a few of the other patrons gave her respectful looks.

The two of us finished our meals then I pulled my debit card out of the small purse I carried to pay for it but Vanessa's scowl made me put it back. She explained that my meals were already comped for the weekend. I followed behind her as she led the way to staircase that was concealed in a darkened corner of The Uncommon Room. The air was a few degrees cooler on our way down to the next level then warmed up as we stepped out into the crowded Promenade. It was done up to look like a London street, cobblestones lined the floor and artificial trees delineated sidewalks from the "street." Shops and benches lined the thoroughfare in each direction when I looked and the ceiling was lit up to resemble defused sunlight.

"Phantasmagoria owns all the buildings on the block and sealed off all others accesses to the underground. The Promenade itself comprises a half block rectangle; this part of the rectangle holds all the shops and The Mad Scientist is down there on the corner. The far side of the rectangle is where the Proving Grounds are," Vanessa told me but once more waved off any questions I might've had which was starting to get annoying.

Many of the costumes I noticed people wearing had taken on a more military bent but all of them had more of the classic Steampunk elements. Most of them nodded respectfully at us as we passed them during our meandering. We reached the far turn and the dance club was dark, a sign on the door listed the hours of operation – it opened 8 p.m. Miss Wolfe turned us around and we continued our stroll back to the other end. One shop seemed to be doing a booming business, Pandora's. I wanted to ask why but knew my question wouldn't be answered. At some point, my curiosity was going to drive me insane but I was determined to hold out until I got my answers.

A mixed group made a bee line for us at the same time one of the automaton servants stepped in front of us and offered my chaperone a silver platter that held a folded note. The dark haired woman picked up the note, read it, then put it into her handbag with a smile. It was obviously something private and I wasn't about to intrude so I looked at the people coming at us. They looked excited about something.

"Miss Wolfe, are you heading over to the Proving Grounds; we heard that Starkweather is about to start testing his new toy," a man dressed as a Victorian gentleman with a strange looking walking stick asked.

"I hadn't heard the Professor finished his latest project. The truth is that I'm acting as a guide for Miss Webber; she's Sir Basil's guest for the weekend. Unfortunately, I was just informed that there is something I must attend to and am loath to leave my charge by herself for so long. Perhaps, if she is willing, you all would escort her to watch the test," she replied then looked between me and the three men and two women that made up the group. I nodded my agreement to the arrangement, if for no other reason than because it offered me the chance to get a few answers.

"It would be our pleasure," the gentleman offered then turned to me, "My name is Thomas Kincaid. These others are David Masters, Jeffery Archer, Alexis Roberts and Miss Devon Mitchell."

As he gestured to each of the other people in his party, I noticed that the Devon girl wore a broach similar to Vanessa's. My hope of getting some answers started to die but something in her eyes made me pause. The young woman in question offered me her arm and I was whisked away to the part of The Promenade that I hadn't seen yet. I glanced behind me and watched as my former chaperone disappeared into the crowd.

Devon remained quiet as we walked but the others talked animatedly but intelligently about some book titled The Affinity Bridge. I admitted that I hadn't read it yet when they asked but I was enjoying listening to the discussion. Something clicked at that moment and I realized that, in a weird way, I was home. The girl whose arm was hooked through mine saw the change and smiled.

"After we watch Starkweather's test, I'll answer a couple of your questions," Devon offered. I smiled at her in acknowledgment then focused back on the conversation at hand.

The Proving Grounds was just a well lit hallway as long as the one with all the shops. Men and women are scattered along it either making adjustments to or playing with machines straight from the dreams of Vern and his ilk, if I hadn't been certain I belonged here before, the scene before me banished any doubts. Those tinkerers left their toys and headed this way to watch the small man I presumed was Professor Starkweather. The man in question was dressed up like a World War 1 pilot and had what looked like a steam powered jet pack. Instead of jets, there were two arms that jutted out from the sides of the pack; a stalk that ended in a small propeller stuck up from each arm. With an enthusiastic cackle he reached over his shoulder then flipped a switch. There was a hiss of steam then both props started to turn. As they started to pick up speed, a woman in her early 30's rushed into the Proving Grounds.

"MARSHALL AARON STARKWEATHER, SHUT THAT CONTRAPTION DOWN NOW," she demanded and the recently three-named man looked scared. From his expression, it appeared like he was torn between turning off his back and making a run for it. Unfortunately, he'd taken too long with his internal deliberations because she reached him then flipped the switch herself. The angry woman yanked off his cap then pulled his ear and started to drag him off amid sniggers from those that had been watching.

"Ouch, Mommmm," Starkweather cried and I saw that he wasn't a man but a thirteen-year-old boy. His mother ranted about the chastised boy failing his last Science test and was grounded from experimenting for six months.

While the rest of our group walked over to see some of the other items on display, Devon laughed softly and turned us back toward the shops. She gave me a quick glance then offered, "I can't answer much but what would you like to know?"

I considered for a few moments then asked, "How much is club membership? Why am I here? What does that symbol on your broach mean?"

"Sir Basil will need to answer your second question but I can answer the first one and give you a partial on the last," Devon replied then found a secluded bench we could sit on. I must've looked like I was about to protest so she glared at me. I flinched, remained silent and waited for her to continue. The other woman another five heartbeats then nodded in satisfaction.

"The membership dues are $20.00 monthly, or $240.00 annually, but it's by invitation only. A member is allowed to bring guests but they are not allowed into The Promenade until after their third visit or The Proving Grounds until their tenth. As too what this symbol means, let's just say that before the Steampunk movement there was a group of people dedicated to bringing the dreams of certain literary figures to life. Of course, there is more to it than that but that is for your host to explain," she told me then helped me up and led the way back to the shopping area.

Once we were back into the bustle of the crowd another question popped into my head and I queried, "What's Pandora's?"

With a smirk and a wicked glint in her eye, Devon dragged me down to the shop in question. She explained that she was going to wait for me outside after we got there. It had taken me a few minutes to work up the courage to walk inside and my jaw hit the floor. The girl behind the counter giggled at me then came from behind the counter and guided me around the store. I cursed myself for thinking this place was going to be a Steampunk version of Hot Topic. Had I remembered my mythology then I'd have expected something bad, just not this bad. Pandora's turned out to be a sex shop that specialized in items with the genre's flare. My eyes went wide as I observed all the different things on display and my mind went down very unladylike avenues. _When in Rome,_ I thought in a haze.

Vanessa was waiting for me, instead of Devon, when I walked out of the shop with a shopping bag clutched in my hand. She giggled at my embarrassed expression but made no other comment. We walked in an awkward silence then I realized that we were headed back upstairs.

"Where are we going," I asked.

"I was informed that your dinner tonight will be formal so I needed to get you a gown. I thought you might want some time to relax before getting ready," my chaperone explained and I thanked her for the consideration.

I removed the music box that I'd just purchased on the nightstand then laid in bed for a quick nap after setting the alarm. The other woman came back when I woke up with a deep blue gown and helped me get ready. As soon as she gave her seal of approval, Vanessa led me down to the second floor and ushered me into an apartment then left me in a study. A table set for two had been placed off to the side of the room; there was a man that was thirtysomething dressed in a turn of the century tux standing next to it. His sandy brown hair was slicked back and a carefully groomed mustache and Van Dyke. I was unable to see his eyes due to the fact that they were covered by a pair of goggles with dark lenses, the left earpiece covered his entire ear and had a tiny trumpet attached to it.

"Miss Webber, it is a pleasure to finally meet you; your sponsor has had nothing but good things to say about you. I would say it is nice to see you but, unfortunately, my echolocation goggles only let me know where you are. I'm Basil Skinner, your host for the weekend," he greeted me enthusiastically and his already sexy baritone voice was made more so by his British accent.

Over a three course meal that included pheasant and a blueberry tort dessert, Basil gave me the history of the Knights of Mechanology and explained about the Mistress. Afterwards, he told me how I'd been nominated to be a Companion. I was told everything that the position entailed then my host admitted that I was the first candidate to be offered the chance for membership with, and training by, the Knights; provided I passed a test. The table was cleared and tea was served while I weighed my options.

"I appreciate the offer and would love to accept it but there is no way that I could afford the dues," I admitted with a frustrated sigh. The older man shook his head with a laugh.

"You misunderstand; membership in the Knights of Mechanology is free. The organization as a whole is very rich due to the large number of patents it holds. Among the perks are automatic endowed memberships to all the clubs we own and your initial kit is free. Should you pass the test, you would receive the added benefit of a monthly stipend. Granted, it's not enough to keep you from seeking a real job but the extra money does help," Basil enlightened me.

This new information allowed me to see that this was a potential win-win situation. I quickly agreed to the test. It had taken two and half hours but I passed with flying colors and my initiation was scheduled for the next morning. Mentally exhausted, I bade my host goodnight and retired to my room. I wasn't able to get to sleep right away because I kept hearing a vaguely familiar male voice coming from the adjacent room talk about how tight "Nessie" was in time with the bed squeaking. Hearing a couple getting on made me horny so I picked up the music box on the nightstand then opened the false bottom and removed the contents.

With a trembling hand, I wound the key at the bottom of the clockwork "vibrator". When I finished, the top two inches spun around and the inner piston moved it up and down. I hoped that an orgasm would be enough to help me sleep because tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

**AN: Sorry it took longer to get this out than anticipated. I'm going to be posting updates for some of my other stories so don't expect one for Clockwork until next weekend or the following week.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Clockwork**

Ch. 9: Dr. Sparkly's Sing-A-Long Blog?

RPOV

The first few classes of my day passed in a haze as I daydreamed about the past weekend and how I claimed my mate. Bella had absently stroked the scar on her neck from where I marked her on the drive to school.

_*Flashback*_

I tossed the uniform jacket onto a nearby chair as I kicked the stateroom door closed behind me. The scent of Bella's arousal was quickly eroding my control and I struggled to maintain it. I tossed the other girl onto the parade field of a bed then removed her boots at vampire speed. Afterward, I unfastened her belt and trousers then pulled both down simultaneously with my teeth. Unfortunately, her tank top and panties weren't treated with as much care; I simply ripped them off then stared admiringly at her naked body.

Instinct drove me and I drove three fingers into her already soaked core then smashed our lips in a carnal assault. Her moans were muffled by the kiss, which I deepened as I forced my tongue into her mouth. The walls of her sex started to constrict around my fingers with her mounting orgasm so I curled them and made sure to hit her g-spot. I moved my mouth to her neck and she screamed my name her climax coated my hand then I bit into the soft flesh of her throat. Bella's mechanically cleaned blood tasted like nothing I'd ever had before but I stopped drinking after just a mouthful then sealed the wound with my venom so her super healing removed my mark. I held her close to me until her body stopped shaking with aftershocks. The clockwork girl rolled me onto my back and fucked me furiously with her fingers while I learned a whole new appreciation for grandfather as her artificial lungs continued to draw air in and out as the brunette lapped at my click languidly without a break for hours.

_*End of Flashback*_

By the time lunch came around, I was extremely horny but knew that itch wasn't going to get scratched until after school. My brothers and sisters were already in the cafeteria but Bella met me at the doors and held my hand as we made our way through of the lunch line. She looked at me slyly then had one of the servers put a heaping mound of spaghetti on her tray then grabbed a bottle of lemonade.

"I have a feeling that I'll need the carbs for later," she breathed huskily in my ear in answer to my unspoken question.

"Maybe, maybe not," I commented nonchalantly while I tried to suppress a shiver of desire.

Drafting class proved to be frustrating because my mother and my mate were huddled over a drawing board that had been moved into the corner of the classroom. Every time I tried to sneak a peek at what they were doing, I met with matching glares. Esme occasionally flitted off to help other students but always managed to keep me in my seat with whispered warnings. The only thing I was able to get out of either of them was that it was a surprise for me.

Emmett met me outside of my last class at the end of the day and told me that he needed to borrow Bella because we were going to have company. I wasn't thrilled but relented my protesting when he said that I could join them in his basement lab.

APOV (Angela)

Stood just inside the doors as I watched Ben's retreating form; his beaming smile nearly broke my heart. Guilt might've forced me to agree to the date and give him a chance but a large part of me was already coming up with ways to get out of it. I was already set to go to another "seminar" this weekend and the last thing I needed was to stay up too late on Friday night. A large shadow fell over me and I turned to see Emmett Cullen smiling down at me.

"Hey Angela, I was wondering if you could come over to the house today," he asked and I was about to decline when I noticed the KoM insignia on his ring. Something I heard over the weekend came back to me but I needed confirmation.

"Are you my sponsor," I asked and he gave me a brief smile then nodded.

"I'm also the one that is going to be training you and thought it would be best to start as soon as possible. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to begin over the weekend," he answered and I appreciated that he was giving the option because I had a feeling that some of the Knights might've been more dictatorial.

"Today is fine, I just need to call my mom and let her know that I'll be studying with a friend," I commented and tried to reign in my mounting excitement.

"You should tell her that you're going to study with one of my sisters, unless you think she'd be fine with you going someplace private with a boy," he smirked and I realized that he was right. My mother would freak out if I told her I was going to a strange house to study with a boy. Between my parents, she was the one that was the most overprotective and feared the old urban legend that minister's daughters tended to be closet wild girls.

My sponsor and new mentor in all things mechanology told me that he'd be waiting out in the parking lot while I made my call. I quickly glanced around and discovered that nobody had witnessed our exchange and that was a good thing. The last thing I wanted or needed was some of the jealous bitches of the school giving me grief for talking one of the "desirable" Cullen kids. I pulled out my cell phone and lucked out that my father answered after a couple of rings then told him that I was going to be doing homework with Alice Cullen at her house. Dad deeply respected Dr. Cullen; he spent a lot of time at the hospital visiting sick parishioners and talked with the doctor often. He wanted to get the Cullen family to start attending church then gave up when he learned that the doctor was the son of a minister himself and tended to his family's spiritual needs.

Emmett waited for me by a Jeep that looked like a reject from a monster truck rally. He opened the passenger door then helped me up into the seat. I figured out the complicated belt/harness thingy on my own by the time he climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. All the color drained from my face as we arrived at the Cullen house in ten minutes due to my companion attempted enthusiastically to break the land speed record. I needed a few minutes extra to get my resultant nausea under control while he chuckled.

I was eventually helped out of the 4x4 and led inside. Emmett briefly explained that his mother had done all the renovations to the house. I had to admit that she'd done an amazing job. Mrs. Cullen came out of the kitchen then greeted me and I noticed that Edward was absorbed in playing some complicated piano piece on the Baby Grand that sat on a raised dais off to the side of the living room. Alice and Jasper were cuddled together on the couch; his nose was buried in a rather thick book about the Civil War while she watched an old episode of TLC's What Not To Wear and occasionally offered commentary. My guide directed me to a recessed door on the far side of the entertainment center and followed me down the stairs that were revealed on the other side.

The basement was decked out like a mad scientist's laboratory and I expected to see Dr. Frankenstein come around the corner at any second. Instead, I was shocked when I discovered Bella and Rosalie, the two objects of the fantasies that had given my new toy a serious workout over the weekend, making out on a blue velvet feinting couch that was set in a small out-of-the-way alcove. The scene caused me panties to get damp then the blonde goddess whipped her head in my direction and for a second I thought I saw her eyes darken slightly. Bella glanced at me then whispered something to the other girl and from the murmured conversation I wasn't able to hear, along with the speculative glances they tossed my way, I felt like a veal being appraised. Emmett excused himself then went through a door to my right that I thought might be a bathroom.

I squirmed under the gaze of the two exquisite specimen of womanhood and my already damp underwear became soaked. My cheeks turned a deep red as images of them having their way with me on the nearby lab table raced through my mind and I barely managed to stifle a moan. The brunette moved off the fainting couch then hopped up on the lab table before she looked at the door to the bathroom.

"Hey Angela, I'm glad you could make it. Rose insisted on being here so don't mind her, she won't bite… yet," she commented with a sly smile and I swore that my heart skipped a few beats.

The door opened and closed and the two other girls started to giggle. I turned and noticed Emmett was now dressed in one of those old school white lab coats that buttoned at the shoulder, black trousers that were tucked into rubber boots, thick goggles perched atop his head and he held a pair of black rubber gauntlet style gloves in one hand. His golden eyes held the most serious look that I'd ever seen on him. Gone was the man that was quick to laugh and in his place was a person that looked like he felt the full weight of having somebody's life in his hands. I couldn't have helped being anything other than in awe of the man before me.

"Well Dr. Horrible, think you can stop brooding over Captain Hammer thwarting you latest nefarious scheme and kick this training session into gear because Rosie wants to show me her hammer. Her tongue isn't the hammer… the hammer is her fake penis," Bella joked to ease some the tension my mentor's expression caused; at least I hoped she was joking but the mental image was already burned into my brain.

"I'll have you know that I was made a member of The Evil League of Evil, thank you very much," the dark haired giant shot back with a smile.

My mentor tossed his gloves onto the corner of the lab table that told her and me that he was ready to start. She winked at the leggy blonde next to me then unbuttoned her shirt and unclasped her bra then let both fall off of her. I whimpered softly at the sight of her breast and licked my lips as I watched her nipples harden in the cool air of the lab. I gasped when I noticed the bronze disc and heart in the center of her chest. If that was enough of a clue, when she turned to speak to Emmett I saw the tattoo behind her ear; Bella Swan was The Mistress of Mechanology! While my mind wrapped itself around this new knowledge, he used a scalpel to make some incisions then cracked open her chest to show me the miracle it contained. After I observed the inner workings for a minute, her chest was closed and I watched the cuts heal in seconds. Next, Emmett reached down to the side of the table and grabbed what looked like a CPR dummy but its chest opened to show a replica of what was inside the Mistress.

"Ang, before the big lug goes into teacher mode I wanted to ask if you bought anything from Pandora's over the weekend," the brunette asked and my face turning a deep scarlet was the only answer she needed. Without saying a word, she held out her hand to Emmett and he pulled out his wallet then put some bills into the waiting palm.

"What's Pandora's," Rosalie asked confused.

"A Steampunk sex shop," Bella replied with a smile and the blonde shot me another glance then nodded to her with a coy smile. I had the feeling that some silent agreement had just taken place. They rushed up out of the lab once she was fully clothed again.

"Alright, time for your first lesson," Emmett said and I started to pay attention.


	10. Chapter 10

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: All I own is this story, SM owns Twilight._

Ch. 10: Game Time

RPOV

The past week had been stressful as I sat in on Angela's training sessions with Emmett and poured over Augustus' journals looking for something, anything, which might've been overlooked. I hadn't found anything but I noticed a strange blank spot on the page that contained the label illustration of Bella's clockwork heart and inner workings. That blank space bothered me but it wasn't until lunch the other day that I figured out why. My sister had asked the Companion-in-training how she found the hidden invitation to the club in Seattle. The human girl explained how she used a black light and revealed the secret message. I was betting there was a secret message on that empty space in the journal and I would check first thing tomorrow morning. Tonight, Emmett had gone up to Seattle and the rest of the family was hunting so that meant my mate and I were going to have the place to ourselves. A little "quality time" would do us both some good.

There was soft romantic music playing, candles flickered on the table and in a path up the stairs to my bedroom when Bella finally arrived at the house. She dropped her overnight back to the floor and it made a loud clank when it hit the floor as I served up the veal scaloppini I'd made for her. She kissed me then sat down to eat the warm food.

"I brought you a surprise for later," the brunette girl quipped with a smirk when she noticed that I stared pointedly at the piece of luggage.

After she finished eating, we danced for a couple of songs then headed up to my room. That was about as far into the romance we got before the scene turned into something straight out of the movies. Our lips seemed to get caught in a magnetic pull that crashed them together into a fiery kiss. Passion ignited into an inferno then Bella's arms wrapped around my neck at the same time her legs found their way around my waist. I rushed us upstairs at vampire speed but still managed to grab the overnight bag on our way without our mouths separating. The second my bedroom door closed, she broke the kiss then moved a couple of steps away from me.

Bella led me to the bed then slowly stripped me. When I was naked, she ordered me to lie down on the bed and close my eyes until she told me to open them. The tone of command in her voice aroused me more than I already was and I quickly complied. I heard her unzip her bag then rummage through it before she pulled something heavy sounding out of it. Next came the sounds of rustling fabric as her clothes fell onto the floor. Minutes passed while I listened to her mess with whatever she pulled out of the bag. Just when I thought the anticipation was going to kill me, I felt her warm soft lips around one of my nipples.

I lost myself in the bliss as she licked, sucked and nibbled on first one nipple then the other. Her hands took over as her mouth and tongue made their way slowly down my body until her head settled between my thighs. Her wicked tongue worked its magic on my clit while she thrust first one, two, and then three fingers into my dripping core. I moaned and bucked my hips in time with her ministrations.

"More," I begged but she stopped and told me to open my eyes. What I saw made my jaw drop with shock; my mate was wearing a three inch thick leather harness around her waist. A small box was mounted at her left hip that contained a small switch and a dial, wires ran along the belt to another box mounted on the crotch that held a seven inch long, three inch diameter, metal phallus that glinted silver in the candlelit room. More wires led from the other side of that box and I assumed they wrapped around the belt until they reconnected with the control box.

The clockwork girl smiled coyly as she slid to silver cock into my stretched and well lubricated pussy. I hissed wantonly as its full length settled into me. Bella flipped the switch on the control box and the metal dildo slowly started to piston in and out of me. The pace wasn't hard or fast enough for the lust burning in me.

"Harder… faster," I demanded huskily but the other girl decided to torture with pleasure before she gave me what I needed.

For twenty minutes my mate taunted me by turning the dial on the control box in tiny increments until the toy was finally jack hammering into me at nearly vampire speed. She threw my legs over her shoulders so the metal cock was forced deeper into me. I moaned and I locked my gaze onto my lover's as I felt the muscles in the pit of my stomach tighten with the pending orgasm. We screamed each other's names as we both climaxed together. Bella switched off the toy and pulled it out of me then sunk to her knees and lapped me clean. When she finished, she lay down in my arms and kissed me.

"Did you like my little friend, its one of the toys Tesla made for me," she asked with a sigh. I nodded then cuddled with her in contented silence.

"My turn," I said lustily after a few minutes.

Bella removed the harness and I noticed there was a smaller dildo/piston that went inside the wearer. She explained that it ran on electricity and that the wired that led back to the control box from the dildo gear box/mount carried electricity converted from the kinetic energy of the pistons to recharge the battery. In other words, once the toy was switched on it could run virtually forever; at least until the mechanism wore out. By the time I was strapped into the harness, she was so wet it was dripping down her thighs. I positioned her on her hands and knees, wrapped her hair around my right hand then took her doggie style. I wasn't in the mood for a slow build up; I slammed into her at the same time I flipped the on switch and thumbed the control dial to full. She howled as I used the toy to fuck her hard.

"MINE," I screamed as the twin pistons of the harness made us cum hard together for a second time then jerked her head to the side and bit my mate's neck then drank a mouthful of her wonderful blood.

Just as Bella had done with me, I licked her clean then removed the switched off toy and cuddled with my lover until she drifted off to sleep with a sated smile. I held her for the rest of the night. Another gloomy day dawned in Forks but it wasn't long after that that the skies continued to darken. The original plan for today was for the nearly human girl and me to go up in the Air Maiden but it looked like that was scrapped because of the weather. Alice bounced into my room just as the brunette's eyes fluttered open and pussy blocked me from any possibility of getting morning sex.

"I know that Em is in Seattle but there's going to be a thunderstorm and Eddie suggested that we play some baseball. Bella can be the umpire," the evil pixie sang then danced out of the room when she was sure my lover was out of bed and headed for the shower.

"You're evil… pure fucking evil, I say," I yelled after the hyper gnome then waited for my turn in the shower because I knew if I tried to get in with Bella, the little monster was going to find a way to stop me.

Bells chose to go home after she dried off so that she could find more appropriate clothing to wear for our sports outing with my family. I finished my shower then headed down to Emmett's lab with a black light. When I shown it the blank space, I was hardly able to keep from shouting with excitement. Hidden text and two small diagrams appeared that revealed the double-headed eagle ornament in the center of the clockwork heart covered a keyhole and what the key to wind it looked like as well as whom Augustus had sent it to. It wasn't just finding this new information that excited me but the realization that the thing that was going to save Bella's life had been in my possession ever since we moved into this house. I decided to wait until after the game and surprise my mate with the news.

APOV (Angela)

The week had been long, between school and training with Emmett, and frustrating because every time I turned around I found Bella and Rose making out or playing with each other. My little friend that I'd bought in Seattle had become my constant companion and I'm afraid that I wore the poor toy out. I planned on picking up something more durable when I went back to the club.

Today was Friday, the one day I'd started to dread since I agreed to go out with Ben. I'd just come out of the bathroom after relieving the stress from witnessing another of my fantasy girls' romps when I rand into Edward Cullen. He was the only member of the family that I hadn't interacted with; in fact, he seemed to be angered by my very presence whenever I showed up at the Cullen place. Needless to say, I was surprised when he asked me to wait.

"I just wanted to let you know that I overheard Ben say something about going to a comic book convention with Eric tonight in Olympia," he told me when I turned back to look at him.

I hadn't bothered about wondering about the oddity of youngest Cullen son's random act of kindness because I was thrilled at getting out of the date and I could head up to Seattle a day early; Mom was letting me borrow her Sentra to attend the "Missionary" classes I signed up for during last weekend's seminar. My joy was short lived because I realized that I still needed to confirm things with Ben. During lunch, he glanced quickly at Eric then told me he was starting to feel sick so it might be best of we cancelled our date. Part of me was pissed that he lied instead of manning up and telling the truth but I let my earlier sense of joy and relief overshadow that.

I ran home after school and cleaned up before I tossed my already packed back in the trunk of the car. I kissed the twins and my mother goodbye and almost out the door when I ran into my father's chest.

"I'm so proud that you've decided to take these classes so you can spread the Lord's word," he told me and I felt a pang of regret about lying to him but that soon passed and I was running out to the car once more.

It was twilight by the time I was an hour shy of my destination. I noticed a car that had crashed into a tree near the shoulder of the highway. It looked like someone was slumped over the steering wheel. I pulled off in front of the wreck as I called 911 and told them where the accident was. As soon as I knew police and EMT's were en route, I got out of the car and rushed over to check on the driver. Something seemed off, so I pulled out the glass tube with the metal cap on one end from my pocket and held it in my right hand.

The driver's window was down and I reached in to check the pulse of the redheaded woman slumped over the wheel. Her skin was cold and there was no pulse but the second my fingers touched her flesh an electric shock ran up my arm. The dead woman's head snapped up and her red eyes bore into brown ones. I lost myself in her gaze and nothing else mattered. Movement caught my attention and I glanced at the tree and saw two men step from behind it. One had long greasy blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail and was shirtless. The other had short dark hair and wore a dirty dress shirt. Both had on ripped jeans and no shoes.

"I'm going to have fun with you," no shirt sneered at me and I shuddered involuntarily.

"James, you shouldn't play with your food," dark hair commented in a French accented voice that oozed boredom.

The one named James stalked toward me around the car like a predator. When he was within arm's reach, I hit him in the chest with the metal cap on the tube in my hand. The Mistress had given it to me at the beginning of the week. She explained that it was a stun gun that Nikola Tesla designed to run off body heat. Blondie dropped to the ground from the shock delivered by the metal cap. Two to one odds were hardly in my favor; while I was focused on James, his partner tackled me from the side and I hit the asphalt with enough force that I'd broken a few ribs. James recovered and the two men kicked and hit me. I tried to protect my face and ribs but the effort was useless. I screamed when one of the sick bastards stepped on my leg and broke it.

"NO," a woman's voice screamed. There was growling all around me and the sound of thunder but I was in too much pain to open my eyes to see what was going on.

The noise stopped then I felt something slice into my neck and fire consumed me. The last thing I heard was the woman bore I lost myself in the flames of Hell.

"I'm sorry my love, I'll take care of you… always," she whispered in my ear.

BPOV

The baseball game had been fun to watch while it lasted but not long after my vampires started to play, two nomads rushed out of the woods. Being almost preternaturally observant, I noticed that neither of the new vampires looked surprised to see me. After the usual bullshit posturing, the shirtless jackass was stupid enough to try to attack me. Naturally, my family went into protect mode and Rose completely lost it. The newcomers fled but I knew that wasn't going to be the end of it.

The storm had passed so I told everyone that I'd head to Port Angeles and take a spin in the Air Maiden while they hunted the nomads down. Rose insisted that somebody needed to stay with me and Edward volunteered. He told us how he was the logical choice because with his mind reading, he would hear human drinkers before they had a chance to do anything. Reluctantly, the others agreed. My babysitter guided me to his precious Volvo and headed toward the highway.

"Edward, can we go back to your house first because I left my purse there," I asked sweetly.

Ten minutes later, we were parked in front of the Cullen's house and I got out of the car then headed inside. I did a quick visual inspection/inventory then made a conscious decision and waited. I was standing by the mantle when Edward chose to follow me in.

"Bella, we need to hurry before those monsters double back," he commented concerned.

"Cut the crap, Edward, we both know your pawns are going to lead the others on a merry chase while you are left with all the time in the world to make your move," I shot back bluntly.

I watched as his golden eyes turned black and the mask fell away to reveal the monster underneath.

**AN: Dun dun duhhhhhhh. I had several pm's not to do a three-way with Angela so I decided against it but still wanted to give her a happy ending without Victoria being a stark raving bitch. How many of you saw the Edward thing coming?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Clockwork**

Ch. 11: Electricity, Fire and Ice

EPOV (Edward)

Once I dropped the entire pretense, I gazed at my future meal and took a few moments to observe her. Shock had flashed through my mind after her little revelation because, in my experience, women were not normally intelligent enough to figure things out the way she had. In fact, I had successfully lulled all the other females before her into a false sense of security that they all died with confused expressions that were unable to comprehend what had happened. It drove me mad how this freak glared at me defiantly as though I would not get what I wanted in the end.

Bella was going to learn how wrong that attitude was soon enough. Not long from now, the brunette embodiment of science-gone-wrong was going to be beaten, broken and drained. Just before the last scrap of life ebbed from her, I would take her and her final thought was going to be the knowledge that I would continue to violate her cooling corpse until I was spent. The best part of the plan was that detouring to the house had been a last minute decision on her part so my meddling sister was not going to get a vision and the rest of my family would end up none the wiser. She managed to pique my curiosity and I wanted to know how she figured everything out; a few more seconds to get answers made no difference.

"How did you know it was me," I asked with interest.

"Moriarty you're not and for a vampire you just aren't that subtle despite what your ego tells you. Shall I start with your most recent mistakes? Do I need to use small words or do you think you can keep up," the Austrian bitch taunted and I wanted nothing more than to rip her throat out but if that happened then I would never get answers.

She smirked as I growled at her then continued, "First, from the moment we met you'd been overly interested in me. In fact, your eyes darkened the second my scent hit you. In spite of my rejection, you continue to look at me like I'm what's for dinner. Then there are the glares you shoot every time Rose and I show any type of affection whenever you think nobody is watching. Let's not forget your little encounter with Angela at school today; you've gone out of your way to avoid her or glare at the poor girl whenever she came over but you go out of her way to tell her about Ben. Kind of like you wanted her out of the way. Then, of course, you were the one that suggested the baseball… a game that Emmett wouldn't be around to play in, thereby eliminating the strongest of my defenders.

"The two nomads are the final piece of the puzzle. James and his little friend practically screamed Minion. I happened to catch the look the two of you shared before they left the baseball clearing. But then again, I've known about you since our first encounter. The first day I was brought to your house I told your family that I'd seen a red-eyed vamp feeding during the Blitz in London. What nobody knows is that the vampire I saw all those years ago was you. Underneath that air of superiority you cultivate, you're nothing but a bottom feeder; you took the opportunity the bombings gave to feed openly and indiscriminately because you lack any type of honor."

BPOV

Nobody likes to think about when they are going to die, they just accept the fact that it will happen someday then ignore it. My grandfather saved me from the brink of death when I was only four and I've lived each day since knowing I was on borrowed time. It is not something that I can forget because I feel each turn of the cog, hear each tick of the clock that counts down to my final day. Even if I had never left Phoenix, I'd still be facing death.

As the bells are about to chime on my own personal midnight, I gaze into the black eyes of the hunter and have no regrets about the decision to move to Forks in the Eleventh Hour of my life. For one brief, shining moment, I felt like a normal girl. I found love and was loved in return. Even if I survive the next few minutes, I won't last the night. _Rosalie, my love, I hope you can forgive me,_ I thought as I watched Edward during my explanation of his failings as a Mastermind. His expression became darker the longer I spoke but I was only buying time because the second I stepped inside the house I knew Alice would've seen my decision to confront the sick fucker and the family was on their way back, even if they were going to be too late. At least they'd know the kind of monster Eddie was.

There was another reason why I answered his question and I couldn't wait until to see his reaction. The dumbass thought I was just another helpless girl, when in truth I was the Steampunk equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction. It had taken decades for me to gain enough control to pull off what I was about to do. With a snarl of pure rage, the bronze haired fool launched himself at me at vampire speed. The moment he blurred in my vision, I channeled all of the energy from my internal power plant and released it in an explosion of electricity.

Edward screamed in agony and fear as a multitude of current tendrils hit him. His clothes and flesh started to smoke then light on fire. The vampire started to panic in earnest as dropped to the floor in an effort to smother the flames. My electric storm sputtered and died; that's when I noticed the living had been completely destroyed and fire crept up one of the walls. I collapsed to the floor because I had very little power left to keep my internal mechanisms going. It wasn't going to be long before they failed. Vaguely, I was aware that the psychopathic little shit had managed to smother his flames but he'd been knocked out. I prayed the fire would spread and kill us before he recovered.

The house erupted with noise but I was too focused on my final moments to pay it much attention. I was slipping into unconsciousness when I felt two cold stone arms pick my up and the rush of air then there was nothing but blackness.

RPOV

My family and I had been chasing after those pricks that threatened my mate when Alice nearly crashed into a tree as she was pulled into a vision. The rest of us knew my sister had enough control to push away all but the most important of visions during crisis situations so it had to be important.

"NO," the pixie cried when she snapped out of it then continued, "The nomads were a set up, Bella's at our house and Edward is about to kill her."

There was no time for confusion so I just flashed back in the direction of home and prayed I'd get there in time. My sensitive hearing picked up the sound of the rest of the family behind me. We'd broken through the trees that lined the back yard and witnessed the blue flash of electricity shoot in all directions from Bella and nail my scumbag ex-brother as well as dance around the room. When the lightshow was over, the clockwork girl fell to the floor.

"BELLA," I cried over the growls that came from the others as they fought to control their rage.

Carlisle had called Emmett while we were on the way back and my brother was going to be here in another ten minutes. I left the others to deal with the monster and the mess while I carried the dying girl downstairs to the lab. I placed her gently on the lab table then turned on all the lights and grabbed a scalpel. There wasn't a second to lose so I ripped off her top and bra then made the necessary incisions on her torso. As soon as that was done, I cracked open her chest and the scents of charred metal and lubricant wafted from the cavity. I choked back a sob at the sight of all the damage and focused on keeping the mechanical heart going.

For the first time in my vampiric existence, I was less than graceful as I fumbled for the key that I'd put in the right front pocket of my pants. Key in hand, I yanked the double-headed eagle cover from the keyhole then inserted it. No matter how quickly I wound the key, I was barely able to keep the power plant going. Emmett and Carlisle appeared at my side and a wave of relief washed over me as the two men quickly fell into sync as they worked to save Bella. My brother and father moved at vampire speed as they replaced components before they failed. Unfortunately, there wasn't a working replacement for the clockwork heart but Em managed to jury rig my mate's power plant to the nearby wall socket.

I breathed out a sigh because the worst of it was over as long as the house didn't lose power during the next day. I held one of her hands as I sat down beside her comatose body. Once she was fully recovered, she was going to get her ass kicked for pulling such a stupid stunt. The sound of Angela screaming made me stare back upstairs.

"I guess Ang ran into the nomads on her way to Seattle and was almost killed. A vampire named Victoria stopped them and had to bite her in order to save her life. They met me as I was on my way back and I told her to follow me," my bear of a brother explained and I nodded. Something told me that there was more to the story but it was going to have to wait.

"Your mother and the others managed to put out the fire and have restrained Edward. I'm afraid whatever Bella did was not able to kill him. When Bella is well enough, we will have a family meeting to decide his fate. I need to go check on Angela but one or more of us will look in on you from time to time," Carlisle told me then went up to see to his other patient.

I placed a soft kiss on the brunette's forehead then went over to the workbench and helped Emmett make a new clockwork heart. True to my father's word, several times through the night members of the family came down to check on us. They kissed Bella's cheek and offered encouraging words before they left. Around 3 a.m., the heart was finished and installed. We'd stuck to the original design until something better could be made. If I was being honest, I had to admit the romantic part of me enjoyed the fact that I literally had the key to Bella's heart. I closed her ribcage then waited a few minutes before I carried her up to my… our room.

APOV (Angela)

My body was on fire and I screamed from the pain of it. An icy hand brushed across my brow and offered some brief comfort. At those times, I was able to focus beyond the pain and hear words.

"The pain will be over soon, my love," a voice I recognized as the redheaded goddess that saved me from those monsters breathed in my ear. At one point she begged my forgiveness again and I felt her teeth bite into me once more. On an instinctual level I understood that she'd done that show me that I was hers and she loved me but the burning intensified and it was impossible to thing anymore.

Time was broken down between the pain of the raging fire inside of me and the moments of cold touches and soft words. Eventually, I was able to embrace the burning and think around it. I realized my senses had been enhanced because I could smell, hear and feel far more than a human should. I was able to make out conversations and understand their significance.

The goddess was named Victoria and she traveled with James and Laurent. The three of them, like the Cullen's, were vampires and they'd been hired to lead the family away from Bella. There was something about red and gold eye colors but the fire that had slowly retreated from my limbs gathered in my heart with renewed intensity. I screamed louder at this more forceful assault on my charred body. Six sets of feet rushed up to my room and the vibrations felt that like earthquakes on my skin. My back arched off the table as my heart beat franticly then, after one last thump, it stopped.


	12. Chapter 12

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight; I'm just playing with it for a while._

Ch. 12: Victoria

VPOV

Never, since my human days, had the world held so much wonder. I'd known that had been a portentous meeting when I ran into the gargantuan vampire, Emmett Cullen, while I carried my changing mate away from the site of her "accident." The mammoth male led us back to his family's permanent home in the area. My mate screamed as the venom fire spread and it stopped me from dwelling on the just how nice the concept of a permanent home truly was. I hadn't started out in my second life as a nomad but James' and Laurent's trickery had forced me into becoming a wanderer.

The first thing my guide and I noticed as we neared the back of the Victorian mansion, whose entire back wall was made of glass, was two vampires that attempted to put out a wall fire with a third guarded Edward. I'd only met him once but that was enough to understand the kind of monster he truly was. Emmett directed me to place my changing mate in the first bedroom on the right on the second floor and when I returned to help the others, my gigantic benefactor had disappeared into the basement where I heard two other vampires as well as a labored breathing. I assisted the others in putting out the flames then together we all cleared up the mess while the bronze haired mind reader was restrained by a scarred blonde vampire that had obviously fought in the Southern Vampire Wars. After a while, another blonde male vampire came up from the basement and motioned for all of us to be seated.

"Bella is stable now and I will up to check on our changing guest after we take care of introductions and explanations. I am Dr. Carlisle Cullen and the others are my wife, Esme, my daughter, Alice, her mate – my son, Jasper and the one he is currently detaining is my former son, Edward. You already met my son, Emmett and my daughter, Rosalie and her mate, Bella are downstairs in the lab," he explained and I was unable to contain my shock when I heard his title. Never in my wildest fantasies after I started this new existence had I thought a vampire doctor was possible. Despite his conscious effort, I was still able to hear a slight trace of London in his voice.

"My name is Victoria Albright and, while the nature of this meeting is unusual, I am pleased to meet you," I replied formerly in my native Coventry cadence. The doctor simply arched an eyebrow at both the formality and my accent. I followed my introduction with a brief account of my time with James and Laurent along with how the three of us were associated with Edward and the sick game the three men played once a year with a random human. Of course, the sick bastard tried to deny everything but apparently Jasper, an empath, detected his deception.

The next the several minutes where filled with hostile glares and hissed that were directed toward the disgraced member of their coven. When tempers were reigned in, Carlisle flashed upstairs to check on my mate then returned and all eyes settled back on me.

"How did you get tangled up with mixed up with this James and Laurent and why didn't you just leave them," the pixie-like vampire, Alice asked before anyone else could open their mouths.

I drew in a deep but unnecessary breath then told my story, "My grandfather had been a minor Lord whose wife gave birth to two sons, Albert – the eldest and Thomas – my father. As custom dictated, my uncle was set to inherit the family title so Papa parlayed his father's influence into a successful career in the Army. He met my mother while he was stationed in India and they were married a year later. Papa retired a Major and returned to Coventry with his wife; I am the youngest of their four children.

"My Uncle Albert never married and squandered the family fortune so there was nothing left when my father inherited the title upon his death. Papa had a keen mind and wisely invested his pension along with my mother's dowry but it was two years before our family reaped the benefits. In the meantime, my siblings and I were sent off to live with various distant relations. My mother arranged for me to stay with a cousin that worked as a typist in London. Eleanor taught me the skill and eventually found me a position with H.G. Wells.

"Mr. Wells paid me well for my services and I sent most of my stipend back home to my parents. Being both a journalist and novelist, he often required my services at odd hours; I never knew what I would be working on at any given time. While returning home late one evening after transcribing some notes, I was grabbed then pulled into a waiting carriage. Unable to scream because my mouth was covered, I was at the mercy of the unknown assailant. The door of the coach was ripped off then everything became a blur and the last thing I remembered were teeth biting into my throat. After that I was lost in the fire of the change."

After a brief pause, I continued, "Three days later, I awoke to my second life and found myself in a cottage in the country then my maker, Chelsea Volturi, made her presence known. She taught me the laws and eventually became my lover when we learned that her gift did not work on me; she theorized that my own gift made me immune to hers. We were together for my newborn year and six months after before she returned to Italy. I returned to London where I fed off criminals. One night, James and Laurent found me as I was draining a pimp that liked to brutalize his girls for fun.

"Between the two men, they managed to make me believe traveling with them would be an adventure. It wasn't long after we made it to America that I learned they were just interested in my gift. When I tried to leave, they beat, bound then starved me until the thirst made me compliant. In total, I tried to escape their clutches on four times; each one ended the same way as the first. The three of us met Edward around 1928 and he joined us for a time. The three sadistic men made me sick with their hunting habits but eventually, the mind reader decided to return home but promised to meet up with us once a year for a special hunt.

"I want you to understand that I never took part in their depravity but wasn't able to stop it either. The first time I tried, they threatened to rape me and I knew that it would be horrific when they did."

Edward growled at me but his empathic brother stopped him with a wave of lethargy that knocked him out. I finished my story by talking about how the mind reader had called us to help him get to Bella. The other vampires looked at me with dark expressions and Carlisle ordered the bronze haired fiend to be dismembered until his final punishment was decided. The parts were placed in different rooms then the Cullen's told me about their diet along with their history. I was stunned with some of what they explained, especially about Bella; that was something that I needed to see before I believed it. With the conversation over for the moment, I checked on my mate – whom I learned was named Angela then made my way into the basement.

It wasn't Emmett and Rosalie building a clockwork heart that turned me into a believer but the brunette lying on a nearby table with her chest opened to reveal the machinery inside that was not something that could be denied. In spite of the gravity of the scene before me, memories of all those times spent listening to Mr. Wells and his associates discuss their visions of the future flashed before my eyes. Excitement coursed through my body as I realized the prone girl, Bella, was the living embodiment of those dreams and for the first time in decades I found myself looking forward to whatever may come with Angela by my side. Thoughts of my changing mate had me flash back the way I'd come then headed to the room she currently occupied.

Dr. Cullen had been checking her vital signs when I entered the room. He quickly finished his examination then left us alone. I paused just long enough to kiss my mate's forehead then sank into a chair before I sank into a chair and held her hand. It was going to be a long couple of days and there was no way that I would leave her side.

**AN: Next Chapter – Ang and Bella wake up.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Clockwork**

_Disclaimer: Vampires, shapeshifters and clockwork people don't exist. But if they did, it would be fuck awesome. What? Were you actually expecting a different disclaimer?_

**AN: Sorry about the delay but I finally found my flash drive. Four of my co-workers and my sister have the exact same one so it was only a matter of time before somebody walked off with it. I've replaced it with a new one and transferred all of my stories to it. I make no promises but the plan is to get out at least one update a week.**

Ch. 13: Awakenings

APOV (Angela)

Fire was all that I knew; all that I could remember. When it died, I was overloaded with sensations. It was as if I'd just come been reborn from the womb defenseless but at the same time not. My ears picked up the sounds from everywhere in the house and the cacophony of noise was oppressive just as the individual silk fibers of the fancy sheets felt like hairs scraping across my body. The scents that were thick in the air set my instincts into overdrives; they screamed fight or flight because there were seven predators that had just entered the room that I was in. There is another scent in the room…that of mate. My eyes snapped open and only a very small part of my brain acknowledged how vibrant everything was or the unknown colors of the spectrum that I'm witnessing for the first time ever.

A growl ripped from my throat as I crouched between my as yet unseen mate and the dangerous predators that are a threat to her. A male stepped away from the pack then I started to feel a deep sense of calm. It was odd for just a moment but I quickly realized this emotion was foreign and almost pounced on my attacker.

"Angela, my Love, come back to me… please," a velvet voice wrapped around me from behind as delicate marble arms caressed up and down my arms.

The need to obey that voice brought me up short. I turned around then melted into the arms of the divine creature before me. The instincts that had only recently screamed at me to destroy now urged me to curl up at this goddess's feet and devote my existence to her every pleasure. I let out a purr as I knelt down and nuzzled my cheeks into her stomach.

"Up my darling, everything will be come back to you after we hunt. Come with me," she cooed while she pulled me to a now opened window. She jumped first then motioned me to follow.

The bewitching nymph bolted into the nearby forest in a flash and I soon followed. Most of my focus was kept on the retreating form but I was still able to catalog that I moved faster than most cars could hope to reach, as well as every single detail of my surroundings. Somehow, I even knew that if I tried then I'd be faster than my mate and would catch her with minimal effort. She stopped at the edge of a clearing and I joined her.

A herd of deer grazed in the clearing before us and my throat burst with an unholy fire. My body automatically fell into a hunting crouch and I stalked into the clearing because what I needed to stop the burning would be found inside those pathetic animals. I took down the first deer and the rest of the herd fled. I dragged the carcass back to my mate then laid it at her feet then rushed off after the others. It had taken ten of the herbivores to slake my thirst and I felt kind of sloshy by the time my mate caught up with me. Another need overrode my brain and I pounced on the red haired goddess.

"Victoria…," I murmured contently in my blood and sex induced stupor as I snuggled closer into her embrace.

BPOV

I slowly became aware of the soft bed, silk sheets and cold feminine body pressed into my side. _Either I'm in Heaven or I didn't die – _I thought as I slowly opened my eyes. I turned my head so that I was able to drink in my eternal Rose.

"I thought that I lost you," Rosalie whispered as she touched her forehead to mine. The pain in her tone was too much for me.

"Then make love to me; prove that I'm still alive and yours," I whisper back then brushed my lips against hers.

My words seemed to cause a dam to burst within the blonde vampire because she couldn't get my clothes off fast enough. Despite the need the burned inside her, Rose remained mindful of the fact that I was still recovering from my encounter with Edward as she reverently worshipped my body with her lips and tongue. Languid licks of my slit and clit ceased then she snaked her way back up my body to capture my lips as two fingers worked their way into my core while her thumb made circles on my clit. She slowly made love to me until I reached my third climax. Then she lowered her delicious delta onto my face and I showed my appreciation with my tongue. All too soon we were finished, showered, changed and cuddled back in the bed.

There was a knock on our bedroom door then Esme came in with a tray of food followed by Carlisle and Alice.

"After you finish eating, I would like to give you a quick examination then, as soon as you feel up to it, we need to figure out what to do about Edward. Jasper and Emmett are guarding him at the moment but something needs to be decided soon," Carlisle commented after the tray of tomato soup and glass of iced tea was placed in my lap.

While I ate, the others told me about Angela and everything that happened after my attack. My mind processed the new data and I took a few moments to organize my thoughts then explained what exactly happened between the bronze haired ponce and myself. I finished my tale and the room lapsed into silence for a heartbeat. The Edward situation wasn't going to be put off any longer so I drew a breath then requested a family meeting.


	14. Chapter 14

**An open letter to : PLEASE READ**

I recently received an alert from the Administrators of this site that my story, The Care and Feeding of Zombies, had been deleted from the site for violating the its rules and story guidelines. At first I was a bit upset but then I skimmed through the guidelines and realized that they were correct in their action because I happened to use the word "Bitches" within the body of the summary. All I needed to do was replace that one word then upload the story again but I put that on the back burner as I was working on updating a couple of my fics. The updates weren't going as well as I would've liked so a couple of days later I started looking for new chapters to some stories I was following. Imagine my shock when I found Author's Notes explaining that as of 6/4/2012 the administrators of were going to start taking down all stories that contained lemons and graphic violence.

Once I got over my shock, I understood that all but maybe two of my stories were going to be on the chopping block so I went back and fully re-read all the rules and guidelines again. What I learned was that the people in charge of this site basically created a major Grey Area for authors. You see, the rules and limited submission guidelines haven't been updated since _**2008**_ (and make no prohibitions against either lemons or violence) but do have a nice warning in red just before the definition of Story Ratings about the site not allowing explicit content within the stories published on .

Now here is the issue: What constitutes explicit content? We don't live inside of a 1950's sitcom where mom and dad share a room but separate bed and sleep in body covering pajamas. We live in the real world of the 21st Century. Every year, Hollywood pushes the boundaries between R and NC-17 ratings and what is acceptable within the lower rating; just as the Television Industry pushes the limits if their FCC Regulations for content. This brings us back to that red warning and the soon to be deleted stories because I don't think the administrators have thought their decision through logically.

How many authors are going to get pissed off and stop posting to this site? How many thousands of good stories are going to be lost? Or, better yet, how many fandoms are going to be completely wiped out? Think about that for a second – Supernatural fanfics… gone; True Blood and Sookie Stackhouse/SVM fics… bye-bye; Lost Girl… poof; Rachel Morgan/The Hollows Series… gone without a trace and those are just the tip of the iceberg. Then there are the fics based on Harry Potter, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle and The Hunger Games that are going to take major hits. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that they – and most fandoms – will be decimated to the point of it pointless to read whatever survives the purge (but I hope I'm wrong).

To me, it would be easier for those in charge to update the rules and guidelines then get rid of the red warning entirely or offer a separate site where such stories might be published instead of the idiotic task they've decided to undertake. Therefore, I have decided to not update any of my stories until such time as I can find a new home for them. If you know of such a place let me know and I get right on the transfer. In the meantime, I might take up the challenge of re-writing and re-imagining Sun and Moon for this site using only implied lemons and non-graphic violence.

Thank you,

J. (Kolchaksghost)


	15. Chapter 15

**New Home**

I find it ironic that right after I posted my Open Letter that I was able to find a new home. I've decided to join OrangeSmurfette and others over at The Writer's Coffee Shop; same penname but more freedom of expression. I'll start transferring my stories there very soon but don't know how long it's going to take to get everything moved. Old, completed stories and one-shots are going to be the first to go but the problem is that I plan to do some minor editing as I go which is why it might take a while to update any of my current stuff.

To find me, just go to .com then click on their library link. Hope to see all of my faithful readers over there.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: I finally started uploading stories on my stories onto my The Writer's Coffee Shop account as well as on another site please check out my profile for information.**


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